


Broken Hopes

by ChisanaHizashi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Don't Like Don't Read, Emotional Manipulation, Multi, Obsessive Behavior, Past Shiita, Political Intrigues, Pseudo-feodal Period, Shinobis and Bushis, Sibling Incest, not happy ending, one-sided sasusaku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2018-10-07 09:00:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10356864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChisanaHizashi/pseuds/ChisanaHizashi
Summary: How an eternal yet forbidden love will shake the foundations of an Empire.





	1. Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> This is the very first fic I've ever written so I hope it will be not too bad and you'll like it. This story popped up in my mind and I'm quite proud of it. I really love Sasuke and Itachi relationship, to me it is the strongest and most beautiful in the whole manga. I hope I will manage to restore the strength of their relation and their oh! so complex personnalities. Well events will not be the same as in the manga so there will be some modifications but it's how I see them (some may disagree).  
> I'm absolutely not an expert in feodal Japan eras so I guess it will be some historical mistakes. I'm sorry but accuracy is not my purpose.  
> Finally English is not my native language so please forgive any mistake and don't hesitate to point them.  
> Enjoy!!

Sasuke was furious. His father had summoned him a little earlier during the day, in the washitsu of the main house, like a nobody, him, his own son. Uchiha Fugaku was at the head of one of the most powerful and prominent clans of the Land of Fire, and as the one and only heir, Sasuke is his father's pride and greatest joy. How can he summon him as if he was the last one of the domestics? The young man knelt down on tatamis in front of his parents and bowed curtly his head. He succeeded with great difficulty in mastering the shivers of anger of his body. His mother did not dare to look at him and kept looking away. Could she feel the confusion which invaded her boy? Fugaku kept his eyes fixed on the scroll he held in his hands for a little while longer, then eventually give his son this terrible look severe and rigid which was his own.

" May I know the reason of your convocation, father? " This word rings painfully in the ear of Sasuke.

''I have just received an important message from the Capital. Our Emperor, Hiruzen Sarutobi-sama, would have succeeded in concluding a treaty of alliance with the last rebels clans to the regime.''

''This is very good news, father. If the various clans succeed in understanding, we finally shall go out of these years of wars and ceaseless bereavements, and the Land of Fire can go to an era of peace and unification.''

Any trace of the anger Sasuke felt disappeared. He felt really relieved. For decades, the various clans which constituted the Land of Fire had never stopped fighting for questions of influence or territories. Sasuke had often accompanied his father on battlefields, for as the future clan leader, he had to be trained in all the forms of tactics and military strategies. However because of its young age, Fugaku had never allowed him to fight in a battle directly, in spite of the protests of his son. But the young man had seen mass graves, corpses (could they still be called "bodies"?) being lying half ripped, dismembered, shattered, some making even already the delight of vultures. A real red human pulp! The stomach of Sasuke did not have been able to bear such a horrendous sight. " Never forget what you saw today, my son " had told him the head of the Uchihas. No, never he could forget. Then if clans had finally decided to agree and ally with the Emperor, yes Sasuke welcomed the news with joy. He quickly disenchanted.

" There is however a condition, continued Fugaku. In spite of his old age, the Emperor is everything but an imbecile. He knows perfectly well that this agreement is still fragile and that the war can start again at any time at the slightest false move. If it had to arrive, He would at least like to make sure of the loyalty of two of the most powerful clans, the Hyuugas and ours, in order to discourage possible uprisings ".

Sasuke was thinking: " And how the Emperor hopes to make sure of our loyalty? Do we have to send him men? Or hostages? "

''No such thing. He hopes for an alliance of quite a different kind, one's solid and unbreakable: He wants that you go immediately to Konoha to marry his adopted daughter as soon as possible.''

The young man was taken aback. He, getting married? The same father who always refused to allow him to fight on the battlefield considering that he wasn't still old enough, desired now that he gets married? Sasuke did not know what to say, he understood nothing more. Could you really be too young to kill and old enough to get married and start a family?

" And the Hyuugas? " he asked in a somewhat trembling voice.

''The elder girl and heiress of the head of the clan, Hyuuga Hinata, was promised to the son of the heir nominated by the Emperor, a certain Namikaze Naruto, if I read the scroll properly.''

''And what will you decide, father?'' Sasuke asked after a short pause.

Fugaku frowned. "We will accept, of course. Such an alliance is a benefit for both our clan and the Land of Fire. It will solidify and strengthen the understanding among all the Shinobi clans, thus putting an end to this war. It will unify the entire country, which will eventually become a powerful nation capable of facing its enemies from the outside. And then, think my son, that you will marry the adopted daughter of the Emperor; you will enter the Imperial family and you will be at the heart of all the political intrigues of this country. It is a great glory for the Uchihas. A father could not dream of a brighter future for his child. "

Sasuke closed his eyes. His father was right, he knew it. Such an alliance would benefit everyone. The Land of Fire would finally come out of these years of violence and suffering and could compete against the other Shinobi Nations. However, he was reluctant to rejoice at the prospect of leaving his home, his family, his adored mother to marry a perfect stranger. His blood froze at this simple idea. His eyes met Mikoto's. She smiled sadly. She too felt sorry to lose her only child. His heart broke at this simple thought. She knew, however, that this was the only solution: her son would not have to die in battle, he would always remain protected from the horrors of war within the imperial family at Konoha. This time her child would be saved. Sasuke could be proud and stubborn - like her father, she thought - but he was also a smart boy, and he would eventually understand that there was no other option. It was his duty as a son to obey the will of his parents, and as a shinobi to protect his own clan and the Land of Fire.

To Mikoto's surprise, the young man bowed his head respectfully and replied, "I will do according to what you have decided, father."

Fugaku relaxed and smiled: ''That's my boy!"

~

Sasuke grimaced at the memory of this scene. It has been already one week since he had left his home together with his professor and mentor, Hatake Kakashi, to go in the capital of the Country of Fire, Konoha. His departure had left him a bitter taste. His father had remained impassive, as usual, contenting with telling to the son that he would probably not see again before the wedding: " Makes the clan proud of you, Sasuke ". The farewells with his mother, on the other hand, had been heartbreaking. Mikoto did not have been able to hold back her tears when she had tightened her son in her arms. It had been some time before he managed to get away from her embrace. The young man and his mother had a particular, fusional relation, and it is true since his birth. Unlike his father, who only worried about his son when the interests and future of the Uchihas were at stake, Mikoto had always been very tender and protective with him. The well-being and happiness of Sasuke had always been her only concern. It was her, with the tacit agreement of Fugaku, who had given him as an instructor a former comrade of her cousin Uchiha Obito who died in the war. The latter had agreed to take care of the Uchiha heir in memory of his missing friend. At the beginning, the young boy was quite reserved and even suspicious with his new sensei. But little by little, a relationship of trust had been established between the master and his pupil. Sasuke finally saw in this man a brother to whom he could entrust everything. People murmured all over the Land of Fire that he was one of the most gifted shinobis of his generation. Sasuke knew he was lucky to be the pupil of such a shinobi. Kakashi gave him judicious advice, emphasized his progress and encouraged him to surpass himself. What his father had never done, just attending the training sessions and pointing at the made mistakes and the techniques to improve. Nothing was ever good enough for Uchiha Fugaku. So, when the young man had learned of his imminent departure for Konoha, he insisted that his sensei, his friend, his brother should accompany him.

Kakashi watched the boy in silence. He knew what was tormenting him. After all, Sasuke was still only a child who had always lived in the clan and knew nothing of the outside world but the plains in the gilded colors of the battlefields. He also understood that a marriage with a girl he had not yet met could be a terrifying prospect. Especially since the young man had never really been interested in girls ... But Kakashi and his father had taught him the sense of duty and honor, and as a mentor he could only be proud of the decision taken by his protégé. Once married to the Emperor's daughter, Sasuke would be admitted to the heart of the Konoha Council, which presided over all political decisions taken in the interests of the Land of Fire. He will then be one of the pillars who will shape the future of their nation. The boy knew how to keep his head cool, he was intelligent, a good strategist and one of the best - perhaps even the best - pupil Kakashi could have had under his teaching. The man with the silvery mop was convinced that Sasuke could only be an asset to their government, and he could not help but selfishly think that this would be due to him. "So, there will not be any shinobis sacrificed like you were, Obito," he thought.

~

Sasuke was presented to the Emperor the very day of his arrival. Konoha was not at all like he had represented it. He had heard that the capital was originally a peaceful village hidden in the heart of a forest, hence its name "the hidden village of the leaves". Now it was no longer a small village, but rather a noisy and dirty city where it was very difficult to travel, as the little streets were for the most part tortuous and cluttered by merchants of all kinds, whether they are peddlers or entrenched behind their stalls. A gigantic crowd was massing in front of the stands, attracting thieves and pick-pokets. The city's military police found it difficult to maintain order and public outbursts and other fights were not uncommon. The garbage accumulated in places, and hints of alcohol and fish in brine ended up stinking out a city that was too narrow and overloaded, which had grown rich and developed too quickly and which now became asphixic.

The young man already regretted his home, retired into the heart of the land, the green valleys and the snow-capped mountains; the silence and the clean air that prevailed, favorable to escape and dreams. He was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that the palace of the Imperial family stood high on a hill, away from the shrieking, dusty city. Its architecture, sober and elegant, had been able to preserve the values of moderation that yore prevailed and therefore did not display any excessive wealth, unlike the city.

"Be welcomed to Konoha, young heir of the Uchihas".

The young man prostrated himself before the Emperor. The decoration of the courtroom was like the exterior of the palace, modest and warm. It was decorated with crafted furniture but reduced to the strictly necessary. Only the throne, placed in the center of the room like a sun around which the world had to gravitate, reflected the status and power of the man sitting on it: built in the most precious wood, covered with gold leaf and azure blue color. A golden dragon, symbol of the Land of Fire, sculpted all around served as a back. During the day, the rays of the sun came and reflected their gilded lights throughout the room, illuminating it with its brilliance. The simplicity of the Emperor's clothes, of a white and ocher color, contrasted strongly with this work of art and made it all the more emphasize the finesse and the spandeur. Sasuke then raised his head. The face of the old man, wrinkled and dotted with spots, emanated only wisdom and benevolence.  
"You must be exhausted after such a journey from the lands of your clan. So you and your sensei will be taken to your apartments. Enjoy this night to recover and rest. We'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow. "

Both were therefore taken to their respective apartments. Servants had been placed at their disposal with orders to reply to the least of their desires. The one attributed to Sasuke was a young boy, a little too small and a little too skinny for his age, his hair short and crimson colored and eyes opaline green surrounded by black.

"This is your room, Uchiha-sama."

It was spacious, decorated with magnificent mural representations on wood in bright and shimmering colors, located a little apart from the other rooms of the palace with a superb view on the shaded garden. The heir of the Uchihas felt good. He had never liked to go around with people, preferring solitude and tranquility. He took advantage of it to train most of the time, or to traverse the green expanses of his native land. He could spend hours sitting drawing or taking notes on what he saw. Nature and its mysteries had always fascinated him. A sensitivity inherited from his mother but which hardly appealed to his father. The garden of the imperial palace certainly did not resemble the landscapes Sasuke liked so much, but it was large enough and filled with varieties of plants and flowers that the young man did not know and that he really wanted to study . But it would wait the next day. For the time being he was far too exhausted. He dismissed his servant, barely had time to undress, and collapsed on the fluffy fûton, where he nearly fell asleep.

~

It is not normal.

Sasuke was a shinobi. Even in the deepest sleep, his sharp senses remained constantly on the alert. Night had fallen, and at this late hour the whole palace had been asleep for a long time. At least that should be the case. The young man, however, was awakened by a strange noise; A kind of friction on the ground, scarcely more audible than the breath of the wind. Most people would probably not have paid attention or would not even have heard it. But Sasuke was not the most people. Without uttering the slightest sound, he slowly slipped his hand under the fûton and took out the splendid katana offered by his father for his twelfth birthday. The young man held his breath and listened. The almost inaudible friction suddenly became a slight crack. Doubt, if there had ever been doubt, was no longer permitted. 

There was someone in his room ...


	2. Because you saved my life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!!  
> I'm sorry, I post a little late compared to what I had planned, but I have not been well in recent days ...  
> Anyway, here is the second chapter!  
> I thank all those who have read me so far, all those who left kudos and comments, I really enjoyed. I hope you have liked it and that you will like this second chapter :)  
> Ah! by the way, I made a change in the first chapter: at the end of the first scene, I modified this sentence: "It was his duty as a son to obey the will of his parents, and as a shinobi of Protecting the Land of Fire and the Emperor." Now it gives: "It was his duty as a son to obey the will of his parents, and as a shinobi to protect his own clan as well as the Land of Fire."  
> I made this slight modification so that the first chapter is more fitting with the second one, you will understand when you read.  
> If not, do not hesitate to ask me questions, I will gladly answer.  
> Since English is still not my native language, do not hesitate to point out any errors.  
> For the rest, enjoy!!!

It is not normal.

The young boy with the fire-haired hair straightened up on his fûton. Slight noises of crackling were heard near the Uchiha's room. This was to be adjoining his own, so that he could satisfy the demands of his master as quickly as possible and at any time, even in the middle of the night. This did not bother him at all: the boy had been suffering from insomnia since his childhood, and that was precisely what made him one of the most efficient and appreciated servants of the palace. However, these sleepless nights marked his face with astonishing dark circles, which he tried to hide under two circles of black kohl around his eyes, which nevertheless darkened his crystalline gaze and now gave him a gloomy look. Lack of sleep also caused abrupt changes in mood that often frightened those around him. For these reasons, and in spite of the undeniable qualities which he possessed, he had hitherto never been employed in the service of any one. He was usually limited to inventory management and since he knew how to read and write, to more administrative tasks. The heir of the Uchihas was therefore his first master. So the young servant was naturally awakened that night.

''How can the Uchiha be still standing at such an hour after such a journey?''

He was about to get up to go and see what his master wanted, when he heard a great noise coming from his room. Noises of repeated blows and overturned furniture definitely broke the peace of this sweet spring night. The boy rushed into the room, and what he saw there rooted him to the spot: the latter was a real battlefield, the fûton was ripped open, the furniture smashed, and all the vases and other precious objects broken. In the center of the room Sasuke stood in a defensive posture with his knees bent and his arms drawn close to the face brandishing a blood-clad katana, and faced a masked opponent, entirely clothed in black - presumably a shinobi, like the Uchiha - and wounded with a deep notch on the right flank. The irruption of the servant suddenly broke the palpable tension between the two shinobis, who at the same time turned their heads in his direction.

"Go away !!!'' Yelled the young Uchiha.

Too late. Already the masked shinobi pulled out of his sleeve a kunai which he threw towards the boy with the red hair. As fast as lightning, Sasuke rushed to the masked shinobi he dragged with him in his tracks, and both passed through the shoji of the room to land in the garden. The kunai missed his target and came to plant himself in the wooden wall, a few inches from the servant's face. But in his fall the young Uchiha made a bad reception and violently hit the paved path of stones that crossed the garden. The masked shinobi resumed his wits more quickly than the young man. He stood up in a fluid and rapid movement and kicked a side kick into Sasuke's jaw, which, under the effect of pain, lost his grip on his katana. It was thrown several meters away and landed in a bush. His opponent did not give him time to catch his breath and kicked him again in the ribs before grabbing him by the collar and sending him crashing against a tree.

Meanwhile, recovering from his fright, the young servant had crouched down and watched the scene through the pierced shoji. His master had lost the advantage against the masked shinobi who assaulted him and was now hard harsh. His opponent's blows were precise, fast and violent, it was obvious the heir of the Uchihas will not remain long alive against such an attack.. All this was his fault, it was to protect him that Sasuke had lowered his guard, and if he died, it did not matter if it was under the blows of a shinobi likely to be sent to kill him, it was on him, the servant, that would fall the shame for having endangered the life of a person so important. It was he who would be executed for having caused the bride of the future Empress to be killed. But the young boy did not know what to do to help his master. Physically he knew he could do nothing against a trained shinobi, and by the time he went to seek help, the Uchiha would be dead and the masked assassin would fly away. He suddenly saw something shimmering in the moonlight, somewhere in a bush. Without uttering the slightest noise, he slipped surreptitiously to the spot indicated by this strange silvery reflection, and there discovered the katana stained with blood. The servant seized it and as quickly and discreetly as he could, he slipped between the trees and the groves to get as close as possible to the Uchiha. True, the red-haired boy, because of a stunted silhouette, was not really strong, but his years of domesticity had taught him not to be noticed by others.

Unfortunately, the sharp senses of the masked shinobi warned him of the boy's presence. With a movement so rapid that time seemed for a moment to be suspended, he dropped the Uchiha and turned to the servant, and before he could send the katana to the young man, the latter received a powerful kick in the stomach that cut off his breathing. The masked shinobi then seized the katana and with an agile hand, was about to cut the throat of the one who obstructed his mission ...

...when he collapsed dead on the ground. The young servant, trying desperately to regain his breath, raised his reddened eyes and perceived above him the Uchiha which had just broken the neck of the masked assassin. Sasuke was in a pitiful state: his face was bloody, his right eye practically closed, his upper lip slit, his jaw swollen, his ribs very severe, his arm probably broken. And yet he had managed to get up and kill his assailant without making any noise. Without the latter realizing it. The red-haired boy was paralyzed by the stupefaction. Sasuke picked up his katana and passed the blade over the boy's throat.

''I should finish you immediately to have by your very presence almost make me kill.''

'I knew it would happen', thought the servant. Without lowering his head, he closed his eyes and awaited the application of the sentence pronounced by his master. The latter, however, lowered his weapon.

''But by your intervention you also allowed me to get rid of this shinobi assassin and thus saved my life. I will spare yours for this time. "

Surprised, the boy let out a sigh of relief.

" Your name ? "

''At the palace, everyone call me Gaara, Uchiha-sama,'' the boy answered in a hoarse voice.

"Stop calling me Uchiha-sama," Sasuke replied, that this protocol a little too artificial to his taste annoyed,. "Sasuke is ample."

''All right, Sasuke-san.''

Sasuke sighed and sat down, his chest burning and painful, while in the distance the Imperial Guard rushed.

~

The Emperor was seated on a zabuton richly decorated with gold and silver threads, with frowning and anxious gaze. How could an assassin have penetrated into the city, passed the imperial guard and slipped inside the palace, furthermore to try to kill the one who was going to become his son-in-law? And who could have sent this assasin? One of the Shinobi clans opposed to the treaty of alliance? Certainly Hiruzen Sarutobi knew the Shinobi clans well, fiercely attached to their values and their traditions of war. These "traditions", however, put the country in danger and would inevitably lead to its destruction, for while these clans fought among themselves, the Four other Nations waited for the slightest weakness to attack them. The Imperial Army has already succeeded in repelling them, at the cost of heavy losses, but as long as the Shinobi clans continue to perpetuate this climate of tension and insecurity, the Land of Fire will remain threatened. The lords of the other Nations have managed to attach the services of the clans living respectively on their lands at great price of money,, but this kind of alliance is fragile and ephemeral. Hiruzen wishes to bring a lasting peace to his country, and this one passed by the union of the different clans and the imperial power.

Near him, until now silent, stood Shimura Danzo, the friend and faithful comrade-in-arms of the Emperor, who was also his closest adviser even though their opinions often diverged.

"It seems obvious to me that not all shinobi clans are ready to accept our alliance agreement. One of them undoubtedly sent one of their assassin shinobis to kill the Uchiha and thus put an end to this marriage as well as any attempt at conciliation. We must force them to understand that there are no other solutions and that the Emperor's orders are indisputable and absolute! "

The Emperor remained silent. What approach should be taken to deal with such a situation? In front of them Sasuke winced at the remark. Of course, an alliance is indeed necessary in order to complete the peace that all desires, but the shinobis were none the less proud independent warriors, not under any authority but their own or that of their clan. Never will the leaders of the different Shinobi clans abandon this liberty to submit to the authority of the Emperor. Sasuke slowly rested his cup of tea on the zataku while coldly remarking:

"It seemed to me, however, that this agreement was aimed at rallying the different clans to the Emperor, and not subjecting them to his supreme authority. Unless the terms have been changed without our knowledge."

The Emperor and his counselor fixed the young man without a word. Danzo gave him a look of contempt. But Hiruzen Sarutobi finally raised his hand as a sign of appeasement.

"You're right, young Uchiha. This agreement aims above all to pacify and make the various clans collaborate with the imperial regime. It is of paramount importance. Danzo understands it just as I do and, like me, he seems to have let himself be carried away by the situation provoked by the assassin's attack. But you're right. We need to take advantage of these events to strengthen our ties and show strength, not divide us as we are doing."

After a brief silence, Danzo resumed: "That is why, for this agreement to be permanently sealed, the union between Sakura-sama and the heir of the Uchihas is paramount. This night's aggression demonstrates that our enemies do not shrink from anything, including assassinating the heir of one of the most powerful Shinobi clans. The death of young Sasuke would have been a disaster for the balance of our Empire. That is why his life must be preserved at all costs. So I suggest naming a bodyguard who can protect him at any time. "

Sasuke stiffened abruptly. His eyes fixed on this icy-faced man, half the face concealed beneath a layer of bandages, an ugly scar in the shape of a cross, barring his chin, his posture as stiff as the cane on which he leaned walk. This man who looked up at him as if he were an insect he wished to crush under his sandal. The young man felt the anger grow in him. While trying to master his breathing, more and more painful because of his fractured ribs, he answered, eyes full of pride :

"I do not need a bodyguard. I am perfectly capable of defending myself."

Danzo stared at him with a smirk.

"Yes, that's what I see."

Sasuke bit his tongue. His face was covered with bruises, his arm was bandaged, and every inspiration, every rising of his chest, made him suffer painfully. All this because of this cursed servant! However, the young man could not afford to make the slightest remark about what had really happened last night without putting Gaara's life in danger. Because even if by his fault, Sasuke had been badly damaged, he had nonetheless saved his life. The young Uchiha remained silent.

"Danzo is right, young Uchiha. In your state, it is unthinkable that you can defend yourself again in case of attack."Added the Emperor.

Ssuke resigned himself: "I suppose my sensei could serve me as bodyguard time to recover all my... skills..." the young man whispered.

" No ! Danzo replied immediately, "Your sensei has already begun to make itself known in the city by attending a little too much to the brothels last night. Given the situation, it's a shadow you need. An unknown and perfectly invisible shinobi that will follow you night and day without you realizing it."

'Without my realizing it ... It is perfectly impossible to' laugh inwardly the young man while cursing Kakashi. Could he not have waited a day or two before he began to abandon himself to his perverse obsessions? Because of the taste too much pronounced of his sensei for eroticism, Sasuke was now going to have around him a perfect unknown who would follow him everywhere even when he would take a shit!

Sasuke then turned his head and jumped. A young man stood there, calmly kneeling beside him, his head respectfully inclined to the Emperor and his counselor. The young Uchiha was open-mouthed. How long was he here? How was he able to enter the room and take his place alongside Sasuke without him perceiving it? Without even hearing it?

"Uchiha Sasuke, this is Itachi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WASHITSU: Japanese Traditional rooms with tatamis and separated by sliding doors in paper (called shôjis).
> 
> SHÔJI: Sliding door having a gridded wooden frame covered with paper. 
> 
> ZABUTON: Cushion on the floor on which the Japanese sit around a zataku. 
> 
> ZATAKU: Japanese coffee table. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Comments and reviews are always appreciated.  
> The next chapter will be updated soon ;)  
> Thank you so much for reading!!!


	3. Inky Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Everyone!  
> I'm so sorry to post this late! I'll try to post as quickly as possible next time!  
> So this is Sasuke and Itachi first real interaction. I tried to make the scene entertaining and the characters true to how I see them. Some may disagree, but sorry, it's my fic ;)  
> One more thing, some may be disturbed by the way Itachi call Sasuke. Just let me remind you that in this context, Sasuke belong to a ninja clan very esteemed and is the future son-in-law of the Emperor, and Itachi a just a mere shinobi of the Emperor, so Sasuke has a more important status. More importantly, Sasuke and Itachi did not grow together and they didn't know each other so...
> 
> So I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Good reading!!!

Several weeks had passed since the assassination attempt.  
Sasuke had not stopped thinking about this shinobi sent to kill him. In return, he was the one who lost his life. By Sasuke's own hand. The young man had never killed anyone before. Of course, death was no stranger to him, he was a shinobi after all, and a member of one of the most esteemed clans. In a country governed by wars and conspiracies, where even the air had the bitter smell of mistrust and low blows, death could be nothing but a natural part of their daily life, a simple data. For all shinobi, death was what was normal, not life. The latter, on the contrary, were altogether mysterious and foreign to them. A shinobi "lived" only to accomplish his mission and thus glorify the clan, or die trying. A shinobi "lived" only to die for the ideals of his clan. Always.

These precepts were inculcated to Sasuke from an early age. And the latter endeavored to apply them every day. He was prepared to fight and die every moment, even to kill if necessary. When he had killed that shinobi, Sasuke acted instinctively, under adrenaline, to save his own life (and that of his serv- of Gaara). He had not asked himself any questions. He had just killed him. Not with his katana, but with his own hands. It was his body which had become for a moment a formidable and deadly weapon. When they kill with a weapon, there is no physical contact with the target (except perhaps the blood still hot spurting on the face ...). Sasuke had been able to feel any warmth leave the body of the shinobi. He had clearly heard the vertebrae crack when he had broken his neck. This one did not feel anything, he was dead before he even realized it. Death before he died. A clean and fast end, without having to inflict unnecessary suffering.

What a strange sensation to kill someone ... Shinobis usually do not have time to dwell on death, whether it's their relatives or their enemies. The constant threat of conflict does not allow it. But Sasuke had not missed time in recent weeks. The adrenaline had skyrocketed during the fight, especially when Sasuke had passed through the shoji and was then beaten by the masked shinobi. The instinct to stay alive had taken over, his mind had focused on that sole objective and had suppressed any other parasitic thought. Once the shinobi died, the adrenaline went down and the young man had become fully aware of his act and what it involved. And Sasuke did not like that. Perhaps it was because he had never taken part in a fight, that he had preserved a certain innocence regarding the warlike life of the shinobis of his time, he had taken no pleasure in killing his opponent. No euphoria, no self-satisfaction at having managed to defeat his enemy. Just the vague feeling of relief about being still alive. He then understood that he could never revel in the suffering of others or give death for pleasure or for love of glory or honor. For him, it was only the inevitable result of a battle between two beings struggling to stay alive. Kill or be killed. A simple way to survive in this world …

~

Sasuke had to admit that the "bodyguard" whom he had been assigned by force intrigued him (a little). For several weeks he had followed him wherever he went without having uttered a single word. As no other assassin had yet appeared, the young Uchiha had not been able to judge his combat skills, but his way of moving without making any noise and its ability to pass completely unnoticed were truly staggering. Sasuke had to use all his senses and remain constantly alert to succeed in perceiving his presence, and even then he did not always succeed. A shadow had said Danzo. He could not have chosen a better term.

However, the more weeks passed and the more Sasuke regained his strength. The marks of blows on his face, scarlet red at first, then became black, purplish, then finally yellowish and barely visible. His ribs had already begun to recalcify and his wrist, although still painful, was also on the right path of recovery. So came the day when the young man thought himself sufficiently fit to do without the services of his bodyguard - what was his name already?... He could not remember it. Despite the incontestable qualities of the latter, Sasuke was no longer a child, he was a shinobi, trained to kill since he was very young. And now that he was perfectly recovered (or almost), he did not see why he should continue to encumber himself with a "protector", even if he had finally proved more discreet than Sasuke would have thought, the young Uchiha did not need to be watched over, (for that he had already Kakashi).

So one night, in the garden adjoining his apartments, he ordered the Shinobi to appear before him. The latter immediately appeared and bowed before the young Uchiha.

"Do you need something, Uchiha-sama?"

Surprised, Sasuke remained silent for a moment. It was the first time since he knew him that he heard a sound - a sentence! escape from the mouth of the young shinobi. This one, with a flow a little slow and a rather serious tone, was also strangely soft and paradoxically cold. It was obvious that his way of expressing himself indicated the absolute control of the young shinobi over everything he said, but his voice betrayed a certain musicality that made it both mesmerizing and disturbing.

Sasuke came to his senses and replied, "Yes. As you can see yourself, my wounds are all already perfectly healing."

The face of Itachi - Ah that's his name! - remained impassive "Indeed, Uchiha-sama."

The young Uchiha took a slight pause before continuing - decidedly this shinobi made him rather uncomfortable - "Since I have regained my combat skills, it seems to me that your presence at my side is no longer necessary. Therefore, you can dispose."

"I regret Uchiha-sama, but it is impossible for me to do what you ask of me."

To this sudden and firm answer, Sasuke felt quite irritated: "This is not a request, it is an order!'' When would they finally stop telling him what to do and start listening to him to change. He was suddenly in a hurry to get married, for by becoming the husband of the future Empress he would at last manage to make his voice heard. Perhaps.

"I understood, Uchiha-sama. I am merely following the orders dictated by the Emperor. Although the first attack failed, it is perfectly logical to think that the Shinobi clans will not stop there, and that they will send other assassins after you. And despite your recovery, you may not be as lucky as last time."

That answer humiliated Sasuke. Now the Emperor doubted his capabilities in fighting. Not only did he question his shinobi skills, but as Sasuke was also the heir to his clan, through him it was all the Uchihas who were insulted. Moreover, how could he prove himself worthy of the burdens one was about to entrust to him if no one took him seriously? At the thought of failing not only towards his family but also towards his commitments as a future adviser, a profound anger and a deep sorrow invaded him.

Itachi watched him attentively. Despite his efforts to conceal it, he could read on his face that the young man was deeply hurt by what the shinobi had told him. Without really knowing why, the pain felt by this boy saddened him. He then spoke again.  
"Make a deal, Uchiha-sama. Let us fight against each other. If I win, you will have to endure my presence at least until your marriage. If you win, I will myself confirm to the Emperor that you have no need of a body-guard, and I will intercede for you to be immediately rid of my presence. Is this agreement right for you?"

" Deal !'' Sasuke replied immediately. He had not even taken the time to think. The prospect of showing what he was capable of and finally being rid of this shinobi had emboldened the young man.

The draft of a smile appeared on the lips of Itachi. This boy loved the challenges, apparently. The fight promised to be interesting.

And he was not disappointed. In a fraction of a second, the young Uchiha unsheathed his katana and threw himself on the shinobi. But Itachi had already brandished his own katana and warded off the blow in an instant. Sasuke was gaping. So when did he ...? He did not dwell on this question and by a flexible and precise movement of the wrist he tried again attacking laterally. However, Itachi was quicker and Sasuke's katana only scratched the air. The shinobi made a tremendous leap backward and landed on several feet of Sasuke.

The latter then remembered the teaching of Kakashi. "First lesson to remember in fighting situations: the safety distance". Standing at a distance far enough away to counter the blows while being able to attack. Itachi was a perfectly trained shinobi and he was moving at such a speed that Sasuke's eyes could not keep up with him. There was little chance he would win hand-to-hand combat. So it was necessary to change tactics.

Sasuke also jumped several meters back, increasing the distance between him and his opponent. Taking advantage of a cloudy passage diminishing the brightness diffused by a night of full moon, the young man sank into the garden and let the immense shadows of the trees swallow him up ... and he disappeared.

"Second lesson: the furtive attack. Remember, Sasuke, in a situation of combat, all that surrounds you is suceptible to become your ally. Always be aware of your surroundings and use them to attack your opponent without being noticed.'' Sasuke had stopped breathing, moving. Everything was calm in the garden, not the slightest murmur, not the smallest rustling of leaves. He then closed his eyes and began to move without emitting any sound through the garden, still hidden in the shade. Because of his convalescence, he had been forbidden to go outside the palace. Sasuke had spent the last few weeks entrenched in the garden, his only space of freedom, and had learned to know every corner of it. The young man was endowed with an incredible memory, so every tree, every stone, every relief was mapped accurately in his mind.

Itachi had still not moved from where he was. He listened and tried to perceive the slightest oscillation of the air that might warn him of the presence of the young Uchiha. He had to admit that the boy was very good at concealing his presence. In spite of his sharp senses, he felt nothing. Not the least pertubation, the smallest little vibration. Nothing.

Wait... There ! A very slight crack, there, in the bush on his left. What a pity to have committed such a stupid mistake! The boy's strategy was perfect. Itachi brandished his katana and marched towards the bush. As he was about to strike, a whistle was heard behind him, and a shuriken slashed his leg.  
"Third lesson: the feint. Do not hesitate to use trickery if you find yourself facing an opponent visibly more powerful than you. Sasuke leaped from the tree behind Itachi and approached the shinobi ashore with his katana in his hand. With a gesture of the foot, he pushed the weapon of Itachi away from his grip, and pressed the blade of his against his chest. He then said with a smirk "It seems to me that I won our bet. I will therefore no longer need your services."

Then Itachi raised his head and turned his leg laterally to hit Sasuke's, and before the young Uchiha could realize it, he found himself dislodged and held on the ground between the powerful thighs of the shinobi, a kunai pressed down his throat. How was this possible? Itachi's leg should have been paralyzed, Sasuke had seen his shuriken slash his thigh. Unless ... The young man looked down and his eyes widened. What an imbecile !...

"You understood Uchiha-sama?" You were so excited to be able to defeat me that you did not even notice that you cut only cloth. And then you assumed that my only weapon was my katana without considering the fact that I could hide others."

"But if I had not really cut your thigh, why play this comedy? Why did not you get up to face me?"

Itachi leaned forward and brought his face closer to a few inches from Sasuke's and stared at him intensely. He could feel the shinobi's warm breath against his skin and shiver slightly. The young Uchiha looked up and his eyes dared to be lost in those of the one who held him to the ground.They do not return any emotion except what seemed to be a cold indifference.They were so deep black, an ink-black. Cold eyes, and yet their magnetism was so intense that Sasuke could not detach himself from them.

"Last lesson," Itachi said suddenly in a breath, "Never rely on your eyes. They make you believe that what you see is reality but they lie constantly. They only show you what your opponents make them show, what they want you to see. So they can easily manipulate you and lead you to believe that everything is going according to your plan."

The terrible truth then struck Sasuke full force "You ... You've manipulated this fight from the beginning to make me believe that my strategy was the right one and that I had managed to beat you …"

"No fighting skills is really necessary to be able to kill a man."

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Itachi was a powerful shinobi, much more powerful than him. Maybe even more than Kakashi. Keen interest then began to rise in Sasuke for the young man with black eyes.

"It seems that we will still have to spend time together, Uchiha-sama."

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at Itachi with determination "Teach me."

A slight expression of surprise passed through the dark eyes of Itachi. The shinobi expected the young Uchiha to be disappointed, frustrated, even furious at having lost the fight and having to remain under his protection, not at all to ask him to complete his training. Itachi stared at the boy for a long time. He had known so many shinobis who considered that defeat was a degrading shame that flouted their honor. But not this one. This one acknowledged his errors without shame and was even ready to perfect himself under the teaching of the man who had beaten him.

Itachi smiled. A real smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remainder:  
> SHÔJI: Sliding door having a gridded wooden frame covered with paper. 
> 
> In the next chapter, Naruto should make his first appearance!  
> Feel free to comment, whether it's in bad and/or in good.
> 
> Thank to all of you who read me!!!


	4. I know you'll love me...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Already a month! I'm late, time goes so fast ...  
> Anyway, here is (finally) the fourth chapter!For those who have not read my tags correctly or who would ask questions, no, I absolutely do not ship SasuSaku. In this story their feelings are just one-sided, Sakura loves Sasuke, he does not. He only marries her out of duty. Actually I have this pairing in horror! But this relationship was necessary for the plot of the story, because it is the influence that the characters have on each other that will motivate their actions.  
> This being clearly established, I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
> Thank you so much to those who read my fic and left kudos!
> 
> Good reading!

Sakura felt lost. She had always assumed that the Emperor would marry her to the man he had appointed as his heir, the son of Shôgun Namikaze Minato, Naruto. The girl liked Naruto very much, even when he spent his time saying or doing stupid things and tapping on her nerves. They had practically been brought up together at the imperial palace from an early age, so she saw him more as a brother, although she knew full well that the young man had different feelings towards her. Marrying the two children he had taken in and adopted would have been a perfectly logical choice in order to preserve the unity of the imperial family.

Sakura was far from stupid. She understood the situation in which was the Land of Fire and the necessity of rallying the various Shinobi clans to the imperial regime, and as the future Empress she felt ready to assume the task incumbent on her. But she could not help but think that marrying Naruto, a boy she had known all her life or almost, and in whom she had complete confidence, a boy who loved her with all his heart, would have been easier for her than to marry a man she knew nothing about. A man she had never seen before.

The girl knew almost nothing about Uchiha Sasuke, just rumors and whisperings murmured by her maids when they came to dress her. Sakura began to envy these women, '' free '' to come and go as they pleased in the palace, when she herself had rarely the right to leave the apartments reserved for noble women; those women who had already seen the face of her future husband, when she herself had to wait for the Introduction Ceremony to the Court. As the weeks go by she was feeling more and more intrigued by the mysterious young man. According to her maidservants, he would be of exceptional beauty and would have even managed to get rid of a shinobi sent to kill him within the palace itself. Sakura had to admit that the young Uchiha greatly excited her curiosity.

"I wonder if he's really as beautiful as everyone claims," Sakura asked aloud.

The young lady and some Ladies of the Court were comfortably installed in the seiza position all around the zabuton, in the apartments of the future Empress, and drank hot tea with different varieties of flowers while nibbling a few dangos. In a corner of the room, a young maid was playing the biwa.

Squealings followed Sakura's remark, and each of the Ladies of the Court present commented on the mysterious future husband of the Empress, exchanging rumors and anecdotes gleaned from their respective maids.

A mischievous smile had been drawn on the face of a young woman with blue eyes and blond hair. Ino Yamanaka was part of one of the few shinobi clan who willingly bent to the Emperor's authority. In exchange for pecuniary compensation, the Yamanaka clan had fought alongside the imperial army in order to repel the attempts of invasions of other Nations during the Third Great War Shinobi. To thank them for their help, Konoha proposed to the clan that important functions and grades should be obtained for the most influential members, in exchange for, of course, immediate support in all future ventures and unfailing loyalty. Yamanaka's members had always had a very fine perception of the events. Though valiant warriors, the clan had suffered heavy losses during the war and was no longer powerful enough or influential enough to guarantee its longevity in the midst of the conflicts opposing the other Shinobi clans. They had understood that rallying to Konoha and accepting their conditions would ensure their survival.

Ino had thus come to live at Konoha in the imperial palace where her father had been appointed Intendant of communication. She had quickly become friends with Sakura, and as soon as she was old enough to marry, she was married to Imperial Army strategist Nara Shikamaru, a brilliant young man whom the young woman thought was as dull as dishwater.

"From what I could see, he is really the most beautiful young man in the whole Land of Fire."

This affirmation, loud and clear, closed the beak of all the people present. There was a heavy silence in the room, the Ladies have kept mum, the servant had stopped playing. The Ladies could not believe it. Ino claimed to have seen the young Uchiha. How was this possible? The circulation of the high-born ladies and even the wives of important dignitaries was very restricted within the imperial palace, and according to what Sakura had heard, the Emperor had lodged his future son-in-law at the eastern end of the palace, close to the gardens. How could Ino have seen him? This sow is boasting, it's obvious, said the young woman to herself. It is quite her character, after all.

"How would you know?" The apartments of the Uchiha are away from the palace and you know as well as me that we are forbidden to move outside the apartments of the Ladies outside the official ceremonies. Would you then possess the gift of ubicuity, Ino? Or maybe you learned to read minds? "  
All the Ladies, covering their mouths with their hands, as their good education required, began to laugh at Sakura's sarcastic remark. Vexed not to be taken seriously, Ino straightened her shoulders a little in a position of defiance and addressed the young woman in an outrageously polished manner:

"As always, Sakura-sama has a keen mind. It is said that Sakura-sama's memory is exceptional, so Sakura-sama should have remembered that I am a married woman and that my husband just returned to the palace three days ago. As a good wife, I had to join the apartments of my husband to greet him. This one was in great conversation with the Uchiha when I was announced, so I could see him, for a brief moment, it is true, but long enough to at least know what he looks like."

An embarrassed silence reappears in the room. Satisfied, Ino carried the cup of tea to his lips and drank triumphantly a trifle sipping: "Hummmm ... this tea with cherry blossoms is a pure delight!".

But Sakura had no intention of letting herself be had. Refusing to let them see her embarrassment, the young woman straightened up and asked courteously, with a slight irony in her voice:

"In that case how can you be sure it was him?"

But Ino did not dismount, and said with a smile:

''The way my servant started giggling, it could only be him !!''

The Ladies began to laugh. Even Sakura squeeze out a smile at the remark. Well done Ino, you won this match, she conceded. But the war is not over. One of the Court Ladies then leaned slightly toward the blond-haired woman and asked:

"So is he really as beautiful as all claim? "

The young woman's face lit up. The young Uchiha had indeed to be very attractive to make react the young woman in this way. Despite his jealousy, Sakura could not help but feel a little more reassured. Ino could be a dirty bitch sometimes, but she always had very good taste in man.

Sakura must at least acknowledge that.

The chirping of the Court Ladies resumed and covered the sound of the biwa again.

~

It was during the Ceremony of Introduction to the Imperial Court, also known as muko tori kon, that is, "the taking of the husband," that Sasuke saw for the first time his future wife. The great reception hall was full of ministers, high officials, nobles and Ladies of the Court who came to salute the young Uchiha. Sasuke felt somewhat uncomfortable, unaccustomed to such sumptuous receptions and was not really sure of getting used to it one day. The Introduction Ceremony responded to a very precise coded ritual that profoundly annoyed the young man. He did not like all these fusses and bowing and scraping, this outrageous hypocrisy made him sick. He could not understand all these protocolary uses, which seemed to him endless and useless. Sasuke even came to the real question of whether he would succeed in living at Court and living in accordance with the codes that govern it.

The young man watched his future wife for a long time. Was she beautiful? He can not say. Sasuke was not used to women and therefore did not know what to think about his fiancee ... He assumed she could be considered pretty. Sumptuous silk kimonos in pink and red shades, assembled one on top of the other, made her white skin and her hair in the colors of cherry blossoms, coiffed in a bun and topped by a silver comb. On the precious fabric, majestic embroidered herons spread out their wings in the midst of immaculate white lotus flowers. An orange-colored obi came to embrace a rather fine waistline, while a haori with purple hues embroidered with golden threads finished to adorn her outfit. Finally a traditional white makeup, lips enhanced with a passionate red, came to emphasize his green eyes of jade.

A perfect little doll, Sasuke thought. The young man did not really like all this overflowing of luxury and coquetry. It was quite obvious that all the young woman's efforts were aimed at highlighting and dazzling him, but as a shinobi, the young Uchiha preferred more sober clothes.

Sakura could feel the young Uchiha's eyes on her and began to blush slightly. Ino had not lied, the young man was truly of unparalleled beauty. Although the features of his face still bore the curves of childhood, it was none the less a perfect oval. The color of his skin was as white as that of Sakura with her make-up, and his night blue eyes gave him a mysterious air, although a little too cold to her taste. Perhaps the young Uchiha was embarrassed? The young woman had heard that he came from a clan settled in the eastern plains at the foot of a mountain. Doubtless the splendor and magnificence of the Court should intimidate him. Sakura smiled. She found it endearing on the part of the young shinobi.

The young woman turned her head slightly towards Ino, who winked discreetly at her.

When she heard of the news of the marriage, Sakura had flown into a rage. The young woman had always taken for granted that she would marry Naruto, her brother of heart. Of course she had no romantic feelings towards him at all, but at least he was someone she had known since she was a child, with whom she had grown up and whom she esteemed tenderly. How could the Emperor have sold her to a random stranger as if she were only cattle? How could her father have crushed her feelings and put the empire before her well-being? Once her little crisis's over, Sakura had come to understand the necessity of such a marriage with the young shinobi: the war,the deaths by hundreds, the duty to pacify the country in order to protect it. Then reluctantly, she resigned herself. But now that she had seen what her future husband was like, she was amply reassured, perhaps even grateful to the Emperor for insisting that she marry the young Uchiha. She would have no trouble falling in love with this beautiful face and had no doubt that Sasuke, after getting to know her, would fall in love with her as well. Yes, Sakura was very satisfied.

It will finally be a beautiful wedding.

~

Three days after the Introduction Ceremony, a hurricane broke through the Imperial Palace. A tornado in human form, with blond hair and clothed in an improbable color. The tornado crossed the palace without worrying about the guards, opened the two heavy doors and barged into the courtroom without even being announced. The young man went straight to the Emperor, bowed briefly before him, and without even giving him time to speak, said with a malicious smile:

"It was a long time, Ojiisan! "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know!!! This chapter is a little bit shorter than the others. But I really wanted to cut it there. In the next chapter, it will be the first encounter and the first confrontation of Naruto and Sasuke. I hope to not disappoint anyone ... Big pressure ...  
> Some may ask me why Ino and Shikamaru? Uh ... Why not? I do not really ship them, actually I like the pairing Ino / Sai, but in this fic, Ino is part of a clan that rallied to the Emperor in exchange for important positions, so Ino had to marry someone of high rank,and Sai, even in this fic, is a shinobi working in the shadows. So here, Ino and Shikamaru.
> 
> Muko tori kon: It was only in the 12th century that the couple lived in common residence. Two types of cohabitation of the spouses took place: "the taking of the spouse" (muko tori kon), where it was the spouse who came to live with his wife's family if the latter is of a higher rank than his (the spouse can thus benefit from the support of his family-in-laws to rise in society) Relationship based on parent-child relationships. The second is of course the reverse.  
> What I called Introduction Ceremony is a bit like this: Sasuke is introduced into the family of his fiancee, the daughter of the Emperor, and since it is an Emperor, also to the dignitaries of the court.
> 
> Position Seiza: To sit in seiza style, the person must first kneel on the floor by folding his legs under his thighs, while resting the buttocks on the heels. The ankles are turned towards the outside of the body as the tops of the feet descend so that in a slightly "V" shape the tops of the feet are flat on the floor and the toes overlap, then the buttocks finally come down to the bottom. Depending on the circumstances, the hands are bent modestly on the knees, placed on the top of the thighs with the palms facing down and the fingers closed together or placed on the floor next to the hips with closed fists and joints touching the floor. The back is kept straight but relaxed in a natural way. Traditionally, women sat with their knees glued while men kept them slightly separated.  
> Link: http://www.iromegane.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/seiza.jpg
> 
> BIWA: The Biwa is a traditional Japanese string instrument. It is a short-necked lute derived from the Persian Bbarbat and Chinese Pipa. The oldest preserved instruments date from the 8th century. Its shape resembles that of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. It is the instrument of the goddess Benten.  
> Link: https://en.pinterest.com/pin/2251868536841369/
> 
> HAORI: The haori is a small jacket, lined or not, that is worn on the kimono, from autumn to spring. It closes at the front with a silk cord or chain. The two fronts do not intersect, thus letting appear the beautiful color harmonies of the kimono and the obi. 
> 
> OBI: Wide belt wrapping the waist that was worn on the kimono.
> 
> And I think everybody knows what a kimono and dangos are.  
> Pfiuuu ... sorry for this long note.  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the following should not take so long to be posted.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!!


	5. I know I'll beat you...next time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> So, this is the introduction of Naruto...  
> I tried to retain his somewhat childish character from the beginnings of Naruto that I found funny, but also give him a more mature and conscious side of the situation of the Land of Fire. Of course, there will be rivalry between him and Sasuke at first, I think it's normal, after all Naruto is in love with Sakura so he is a bit jalous of Sasuke... But as I said in comments, Naruto will be NOT a mad crazy lover who will try to detroy Sasuke'life for marrying Sakura. Sasuke and him will become friends until... you'll need to read the rest of the fic to find out ;p
> 
> Anyway, I hope to not disappoint anyone and you will enjoy this chapter!  
> Good reading!!!

The Emperor heaved a deep sigh. The young man should have entered the capital at least three days ago.

Hiruzen should have known better. Naruto had always been a turbulent and unpredictable boy since his early childhood. In fact, since his father's death in war, when he was still an infant, he had sought to draw attention to him, that of all the servants of the palace, and that of Hiruzen himself, even by committing all the possible and conceivable stupid things. The old man could not help but think that he was somehow responsible, too busy trying to forge alliances of peace to take care of the child of his general and friend. So, when the lady-in-waiting of her late wife died herself of a terrible illness, the Emperor had not hesitated to take in and adopt her only daughter, thinking that she would make a perfect companion of play for the young boy. For a while it had proved to be a wonderful idea: the little girl had immediately pleased Naruto, and the two children had quickly become inseparable. But Naruto had finally fallen in love with his adopted sister, a love that Hiruzen was once again forced to refuse him for political reasons.

"You arrive three days late and you do not even bother to get announced ... So you will never change, Naruto? "

Naruto? Thus the boy who had just so suddenly penetrated into the courtroom was the heir and future Emperor of the Land of Fire? Sasuke thought for a moment that if he had had the presumptuousness of appearing before his father with delay on the scheduled date and without announcing himself, he would have been reprimanded and even severely punished.

The young Uchiha stared at this blond boy with a mixture of astonishment and curiosity. Everything in him reflected the opposite of what Sasuke was, as different from each other as day and night.

A golden mop, bristling like the rays of the sun, clashed with locks of night-blue reflections spread out at the back like the tail of a flying bird.

There were two great, laughing eyes of cerulean blue, and two impassive eyes of an ink-black.  
An amber skin marked by mustaches on each cheek, and a silky skin without any stains, as white as milk.

The foolish smile of this boy was opposed to the serious and closed face of Sasuke.  
Even their clothes and dressing were completely different.

"You missed the Introduction Ceremony! Hiruzen added in a more severe tone.

"B-but ... It's not my fault!'' Naruto grumbled, "Our departure was delayed! Because of a violent agitation that suddenly spread among all the Shinobi clans ... ".

"Even if you were late, if you had bothered to announce your arrival, we would have been able to receive our distinguished guests with a little more preparation and respect," retorted the Emperor sighing.

The young man scowled. He narrowed his eyes and raised his lower lip.

Sasuke opened his eyes wide-eyed. He could not believe it. He almost burst out laughing so much the situation seemed ridiculous to him. Naruto ... was sulking? The son of the legendary Shogun Namikaze Minato, the appointed heir to the throne and future emperor of the Land of Fire was sulking?

Suddenly, the large door of the courtroom swung open.

A young man, tall, with very clear skin and long black hair tied behind his back, made his entrance into the room. Without a glance at Sasuke or even Naruto, he headed straight to the Emperor and prostrated himself proudly before him. Behind him stood a young girl who resembled him like two peas in a pod. She was dressed in an elegant kimono of white and lavender coulour, which married perfectly with the color of her eyes, embroidered with blue Nemophilia and closed on the front by a string of purple color.

It was most likely to be the future wife of the heir to the throne, the daughter of the chief of the clan cousin of that of the Uchihas, Hyuuga Hinata. And the young man who accompanied her, given their strange resemblance, was probably her brother, or a close member of the family sent to serve and protect her.

"I would like to welcome to Konoha Hyuuga Hinata, daughter of Hyuuga clan chief, Hyuuga Hiashi!'' The Emperor saluted formally, but with a certain warmth in his voice.

The girl immediately lowered her gaze. Her cheeks flushed violently. She kept fidgeting the edges of her kimono with her little white fingers. Sasuke realized that she was even trembling a little. Her lips parted and closed several times, as if she's been work up the courage to dare to speak at last. The young man who accompanied her stared at her impassively for a moment, then turned to the Emperor and spoke with a neutral voice.

"Hyuuga Hinata is very honored by the words of his Highness's welcome. Let his Highness deign to excuse the nervousness of Hinata-sama, which is due to the long journey we have just made."

The Emperor smiled.

" I understand perfectly. I personally I beg Hinata-sama to forgive this unofficial welcome, but we did not really expect you to arrive.'' The Emperor said, staring narrowly at Naruto.

The latter assumed a perfectly innocent air.

The Emperor continued. "I'm going to order Hinata-sama and …"

"Hyuuga Neji, your Highness."

"... Hyuuga Neji to be taken to their apartments. But before that, since Hinata-sama was unfortunately not able to attend the Introduction Ceremony, I would like to present Hinata-sama right here to the fiancé of the future Empress, the young heir of the clan Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke."

The girl bowed deeply before the young Uchiha, while Neji only gave a brief nod, which Sasuke coldly returned to him.

Naruto stared at Sasuke for a long time. It was therefore he, the future husband of Sakura-chan, the heir of the powerful clan of the Uchihas. It's strange, he had imagined him taller, a little more muscular maybe. Naruto could not deny that Uchiha Sasuke was a very handsome young man, all the maidservants and Ladies of the Court must already swoon before him. But for Naruto, his pale skin and fine features made him look fragile, as if he were porcelain. The Ladies were most likely to find his lack of expression mysterious, but for Naruto, his cold, impassioned face made him insipid and almost as boring as Shikamaru. Was this the terrible shinobi of whom everybody kept talking since they left?

He wanted to know one way or the other.

He _had _to know one way or the other.__

Naruto suddenly drew the katana which he carried on the right flank and made an horizontal attack on Sasuke. With a rapid movement of the wrist, the latter immediately parried the blow.

The assembly was petrified with astonishment. What happened to Naruto? Why this sudden attack?

"You defend yourself well!'' Naruto remarked with a smirk.

He goes on with a bilateral attack, his katana in his right hand, a kunai in the left. With a quick gesture, Sasuke kicked Naruto's left hand, causing him to let go of his kunai, and again parried the katana that came from the right side. Sasuke then made a quarter turn on himself and struck Naruto's chest with his shoulder.

'He is fast!' Naruto thought.

Taking advantage of his opponent's loss of balance, Sasuke kicked him in the joints of the lower limbs and finally put his opponent on the ground striking the back of his ankles with his right leg.

In the dark, unknown to everyone, Itachi smiled. The boy learned quickly.

With the breath off, the young man with the blond locks opened his eyes to see the Uchiha leaning over him, his katana slightly pressed on his chest. Like he usually does, Naruto was presumptuous. Without having elaborated any strategy, he had attacked the Uchiha without thinking, basing his observations on suppositions and a seemingly delicate physique. Naruto was far from being a bad shinobi, but sometimes he was cruelly lacking patience and concentration, and was always too impulsive during a fight, never taking the time to analyze the situation before attacking, despite the hundreds of warnings of his sensei, Jiraya, during the trainings. And today he had lost. Faced with a shinobi who was perhaps not as strong as him,, but who was much faster and always thought his moves ahead. Naruto had severely underestimated his opponent.

"Naruto! The voice of the Emperor, powerful in spite of his great age, resounded in the courtroom. "What does all this mean?"

The young man rose quickly.

"Gomen Ojiisan, I just wanted to test the reflexes of Uchiha, and see if he was as talented as all claim. He will become Sakura-chan's husband after all.''

''Your reasons are irrelevant. You attacked Uchiha Sasuke in my dwelling right before my eyes, and now you must repair the affront by apologizing to him.''

Naruto groaned slightly: ''Is it really necessary ?''

The Emperor gave Naruto a stern look. "This is indispensable, Naruto. You are my future heir and I expect you to behave like such."

''Hai, Hai...'' The blonde-haired young man grumbled.

Then turning to Sasuke with a somewhat forced politeness: "Uchiha Sasuke, I apologize for this rather abrupt presentation. I am Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, heir to the throne of the Land of Fire.'' Then he added more maliciously: ''I acknowledge that I have lost to you today, but I suppose I should have expected it, you have killed a murderer sent to the palace to kill you after all. But I swear to the Gods that I will beat you next time."

A deathly silence broke through the room.

"W-what did you say Naruto?" Hiruzen asked in a somewhat trembling voice.

Naruto gave the Emperor a confused look: "I'll beat him next time?"

The Emperor sighted. Reflection in this boy could take time sometimes... well more often than sometimes. "No, you talked about a murderer ..."

A light bulb seemed to light up in Naruto's head. Then his face suddenly became serious, which surprised Sasuke strongly. He had always been taught that shinobis should show no emotion, or else the enemy could use them to destabilize them. Now they had just met, and already the blond boy had publicly unveiled a whole palette of emotions without the slightest shame. This Naruto truly detonated in the shinobi universe.

"Ah! Yes the murderer! It is a story that circulates among the Shinobi clans, an assassin would have entered the palace to kill the Uchiha, and the Uchiha would have got rid of him!"

"All the clans went into great agitation on hearing this story, each accusing the other of having sought to kill the Empress's future husband," Neji added, "This explains our delay."

"That's what I feared," murmured the Emperor to himself.

Sasuke turned to the Emperor, trying to mask the anger that made his voice vibrate: "It was firmly ordered to the servants and guards not to disclose this story. How could the Shinobi clans be aware?"

__~_ _

A fine silhouette dressed in black slipped silently through a dark maze of tangled corridors. Then it entered a room without windows scarcely illuminated by two torches fixed to the wall. There a man waited, his face grave. He waved, and the slender figure immediately bowed before him. The man, in a snap of his fingers, then invited the silhouette to address him.

"Your orders have been perfectly executed, Danzo-sama. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEMOPHILIA: blue flower also called 'blue-eyes'. There is a park in Japan famous for his fields of Nemophilia at spring, the Hitachi Seaside Park.
> 
> Gomen: 'Sorry' in Formal Japanese Language. It is the abbreviation of the word gomenasai, which is the Japanese term used to apologize after committing the fault. Despite his status as emperor, Naruto addresses Hiruzen in a familiar way, hence the use of the abbreviation gomen.
> 
> Hai: 'Oui, OK' in Japanese Language.
> 
> So yes, Neji and Hinata appeared in this chapter as well.  
> Do not worry for Hinata, she will not stay that little fragile flower shy and diffident, she will take confidence in herself later in the fic. As for Neji, he will not be as aggressive toward her as in the manga, but he will be very cold and even brusque with her at first. But their relationship will evolve.
> 
> This chapter marks the end of the introduction phase of this fic, in the next, the story will begin to set in place.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
> Thank you to all my readers for the comments and the kudos! And thank you for reading! :)


	6. Under the mask...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I'm sorry, I know I'm very late to post, but I've been back to work recently and I did not have time to write ...  
> Finally there is a new chapter!  
> I hope you enjoy it!  
> Thanks to all those who read me and who have left kudos, I'm really touched.  
> Happy reading to all !!!

"Naruto! "

Sakura darted toward the blond-haired young man who had just burst into the girl's apartment, and hugged him in her arms to stifle him. It had been several months since Naruto had left the imperial palace and crossed the immense plains of the Land of Fire to seek his future wife in his tribe and bring her back to the capital for marriage. The young lady could not stop pestering against him and her innumerable antics which always attracted exemplary corrections, she could not do without her adopted brother, his dearest friend and faithful confidant.

Sakura had been used to the worldliness of the court since her early childhood. Before her death, her mother, a companion of the late Empress, had taught her the first ways of the Court, an her tutors had undertaken to teach her to keep the new rank which was henceforth her own. A future Empress had to know perfectly how to administer the Imperial domain and its officials, in order to help, support and advise the Emperor in all his endeavors. Nothing tired Sakura more than to learn to write and redistribute to all the advisers of the palace the letters issued by the Emperor. No mistakes were allowed. In every way and on every occasion, her attitude should remain irreproachable and exemplary. Often the girl with pale pink hair could not help jealously envying the Court Ladies and their frivolous conversations.

But she was not allowed to complain, at least in public. Naruto had always been there to listen to her and comfort her when the girl needed to shed herself after another umpteenth punishment and to let the tears flow that she could not show in public. She told him sobbing all her sorrows and the young man then took her tenderly in his arms and whispered comforting words. The two youngsters began to confide their innermost secrets and fears, and with time, Naruto began to know the troubles and anguish that tormented the young girl and Sakura all the darkest corners of the heart of Naruto.

Naruto pressed the girl tenderly against his heart as a big smile illuminated his face. "It's been a long time, Sakura-chan."

He had terribly missed her, their complicity, their open-hearted conversations, the sudden changes in the mood of his adopted sister, so similar to his own. He had felt so alone and isolated far from home and those he loved. The young man had found no acquaintance with his young bride or any of her clan. He even went so far as to fight with her cousin, an arrogant and haughty boy, who had allowed himself to teach him about his duties as heir to the throne and future husband of Hinata. She looked like a nice girl but Naruto thought she was strange. She was so timid and reserved that she had not spoken to him about the whole journey. He did not even remember hearing the sound of her voice. She was so retiring that most of the time he forgot her presence. Really she did not look like his Sakura.

Suddenly, Sakura abruptly emerged from his embrace and gave him a big pat on the back of his head.

"Ouch! It hurts, Sakura-chan! Naruto groaned as he massaged the bump that was beginning to appear in the back of his head.

"You're just an idiot, Naruto!" Where were you? You missed the Introduction Ceremony! "  
Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Oh no, not you too, Sakura-chan. The old man has already given me the lesson ... "

"It's well done for you!" Sakura snapped, laughing.

That is precisely what the young man loved in her. She always endeavored to give a posed and thoughtful image of her, as befits a young girl of her rank. But Naruto knew the real Sakura. The real personality of the girl was that of an erupting volcano ready to explode at any moment, impetuous and impatient to prove herself, in this similar to Naruto, although perhaps a little more violent. Naruto often regrets that the girl does not reveal more often this part of herself. But he knew that Sakura wished to give first of all the image of a respectable and distinguished girl, whom all could admire, and whom all might envy. Most people might say that it is only narcissism on the part of the young women, but Naruto knew it was not. He knew that Sakura was in fact suffering from a profound lack of self-esteem and that the eyes and judgment of others terrified her. She persuaded herself that the image she was referring to was the one all wanted to see. The girl was clever and well-educated, but she felt that to be accepted into this world she had to return an image of her without any flaw, ideal, perfect. That of a true Empress, like that which her mother served, and not that of the daughter of a simple companion. The young man suddenly wondered if she would feel sufficiently confident with the Uchiha to let him know who she really was, to let him see her true self.

"So you've already met the Uchiha," Naruto said suddenly.

Sakura immediately stopped laughing.

"Yes," was her only answer.

That's what Naruto was thinking. At the mention of Sasuke, the girl's back stiffened and her face closed completely. She had resumed the straight and formal posture she always held when she appeared in public or received in her apartments. This apparent image of perfection she showed to all, like a statue of white marble devoid of any roughness. Only a spark was still visible in her eyes. A burning brightness in her eyes that attested the interest that the girl was carrying at the Uchiha. The young man had obviously made a great impression on her. Naruto could not help feeling a pang in his heart when seeing the girl he had loved tenderly for years to become infatuated with this boy whose eyes she had met once only three days ago .

On the other hand, Naruto could not really blame her. The young Uchiha was really breathtakingly beautiful. But it was not just that. He was also a valiant fighter, knowing how to perfectly handle the katana and to counter the blows. Of a calm and thoughtful nature, he possessed a sense of observation and anticipation that made him an excellent strategist. It was all that Naruto had always dreamed of being.

"I heard you had made your own acquaintance," Sakura added in a tone she wanted as neutral as possible.

The young man kept his eyes fixed on Sakura. The girl had not moved an eyelash. Only a light rose-colored tan came to color her cheekbones. Despite the young man's jealousy of the young Uchiha, all he wanted was to see Sakura happy. And if this happiness was to pass through this Sasuke, Naruto was ready to accept it. What's more, the young man was really very interesting. Naruto was eager to learn more about him.

"Yes, and you're very lucky, Sakura-chan."

But that will not stop Naruto from beating him one day. He is the future Emperor after all.

~

Sasuke could not sleep. He kept turning and turning to the futon. His mind was too confused and muddled up. Too many questions were jostling in his head. How did the different clans know about the assassination attempt? Who organized and ordered that Sasuke be executed? Was it one of the clans or an unknown organization acting in the shadows? It seems logical to think whoever disseminated information about the assassination attempt is the same as who ordered it. But for what purpose? Sabotage the marriage? It could then only be an organization or a clan hostile to peace in the Land of Fire. But what is the point of this cycle of conflicts? Unless the assassination attempt and the dissemination of this information have nothing to do with each other. It could simply have been sold by a guard of the Palais in exchange for a few pieces ...

Sasuke closed his eyes. All these questions began to give him a headache. The young man stood uprightly on his futon, then rose and went out to breathe a little air from the garden. The moon was full that night, and no cloud clouded or shrouded its brightness. Sasuke stood a long moment looking at it, trying not to think of anything else.

Suddenly he heard a slight noise, a barely audible rustle that untrained ears would probably not have perceived. Curious, the young man tried to determine where this little noise could come from, and went in its direction. He slipped silently between the trees and small bushes of the garden and stopped hidden by a branch near a grove.

Beneath the glittering light of the moon, he saw Itachi at the very heart of the grove performing some katana training movements. He handled it with one hand with a fatal precision. No superfluous wrist movements and shiftings were as supple and silent as those of a cat. Only the slight rustling of his clothes when he moved was heard.

Sasuke was like hypnotized. The movements of Itachi did not resemble those of a warrior in battle; they resembled those of a sensual and mortal dance at once. The way he turned his wrist, the swinging of his hips that the young man could guess under the layers of clothes of the young shinobi, the rhythm marked by his footsteps, so rapid that they gave the impression of not touching the ground. The way his powerful torso lifted and sank almost insensibly under the effect of effort. The moon was reflected on his white skin, while bringing out the softness and finesse of his features. A face of a perfect oval, almond-shaped eyes with long drawn lashes, a fine and straight nose, a voluptuous mouth slightly ajar.

Sasuke could not detach his eyes from such perfection. The rippling of the body on which the moon came to gently settle, the pure brilliance of its reflection on the skin of mother-of-pearl made it at once brilliant and almost transparent, so that the young man believed for a moment to have before his eyes a ghost or a God, an unreal or dreamed creature. The young Uchiha then felt a soft warmth rise in his lower abdomen and spread in the rest of his body. A pleasant but strange feeling, to which Sasuke was not accustomed. His body was beginning to burn. A slight tingle began to run along his skin, making the young Uchiha shudder. Overwhelmed by all these unknown sensations, Sasuke closed his eyes and could not resist exhaling a very slight sigh.

"Uchiha Sasuke-sama should not be awake at such a late hour."

Sasuke froze. Of course, Itachi had felt his presence. He should not even be astonished.  
Slowly he came out from behind the branches where he had hidden himself. Itachi had stopped dancing and stood motionless in front of him.

" I could not sleep. I just went out to get some fresh air. I had no intention of ... " Sasuke whispered as he did to himself.

The young man tried to mask his embarrassment as best he could. Itachi certainly must have heard the sigh he had pushed. He tried desperately to contain his emotions and to keep towards the young shinobi an impassive face, like that of his father. But he could not prevent his burning cheeks from covering himself with a hue of a red carmine.  
Sasuke looked away. It did not resemble him. The young man had always laughed at what one might think of him. His only goal was to become a great shinobi in order to make his father finally proud of him. Anything else was secondary. Itachi made him feel uncomfortable. He made him feel emotions, sensations, which he had never experienced before. He wanted to impress the young shinobi and be noticed by him. Suddenly, nothing counted more than what Itachi could think of him ... feel for him. Sasuke was confused.

"What can disturb your sleep, Uchiha-sama?" Your marriage? ... Unless it is the agitation that is shaking at the moment the various Shinobi clans following the disclosure of your attempted assassination? "

Sasuke was gaping with astonishment. It was not only during their fights, Itachi could read inside the young man's heart at any moment. He could guess his strategies, his emotions, his anxieties, his interrogations ... His father had never really understood what Sasuke could feel, only his mother had always known what was tormenting him and how to appease him. But Itachi could really read in him as in an open book, while Sasuke never knew the thoughts of his bodyguard. The young shinobi remained for him an enigma.

"Do you really think that this marriage will put an end to these endless wars? "

Since this assassination attempt, Sasuke was beset by doubts about his upcoming marriage. Will this alliance really unite the different clans? Will it really unite the country and build a new era of peace? Unless it is precisely the trigger of a war even more terrible and murderous than the preceding ones. The sending of this assassin proves that this marriage made the Shinobi clans already very nervous. Sasuke did not know what to think. Was he really making the right decision?

"Is my opinion really valuable to you?"

For the first time, Sasuke realized that, indeed, he valued Itachi's opinion much more than he would have thought. He desired that Itachi should guide and advise him. He wished to see what Itachi might think, catch a glimpse of who was Itachi, catch a glimpse of Itachi.

"This marriage is a good thing. Some clans, such as the Yamanaka clan, have already begun to rally to the Emperor of their own free will. The Uchiha and Hyuugas clans are among the most important and influential. If, thanks to this marriage, these two clans managed to unite, in order to survive the other clans would have no choice but to rally to them.''

Sasuke sighed. So he made the right decision by agreeing to marry Sakura. The young Uchiha would probably have been pleased to have had a good judgment, however a part of him could not help but be somewhat disappointed with Itachi's answer.

"Nevertheless," continued Itachi, "it is impossible to base the confidence and loyalty of a clan solely on an alliance such as marriage, however solid. Some clans retain a very independent spirit, and can not be dominated only by the threat of an Uchiha-Hyuugas alliance should a conflict break out. It is not by force that the clans will succeed in uniting, but by the loyalty they will be able to establish with each other. This marriage will be only a first step to bring the clans to unite and make peace. The rest will depend on the policy of the Great Council. "

Sasuke nodded his head. Itachi was right. Through this marriage, he could return to the Grand Council as one of its most influential members, and use his position to get the clans to help each other and trust each other.

Sasuke smiled, his heart a little less heavy and his mind more liberated.

"Thank you, Itachi."

~

"The young Uchiha seems to appreciate you more and more. Perfect. I knew I had been right to send you to him. You did a great job. Continue to draw nearer to him, gain his confidence and bring back to me the least of his actions and gestures, the least of his words. It is time for the different shinobi clans to learn that there is only one authority, one power that governs the Land of Fire. And the young Uchiha will help us. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The period of my fic is between the period of the Regime of Codes in Japan (Regime of Codes (7th to 11th-12th centuries): code system introduced from China to Japan that governed Japanese society) and the Heian period (this period begins in 794 and ends in 1185 with the beginning of the Kamakura era. The Heian period (Japanese word meaning "peace") is considered the climax of the Japanese imperial court and is celebrated for his culture of the arts, especially poetry and literature). During this period, the Empress had the role of official in the imperial palace, that is to say that it governed the administration and the codes of the Court. From the 14th century this role will be devolved to the Ladies of the Court.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
> I promise to try to post more quickly next time.  
> If you have questions or comments, don't hesitate to ask me.  
> Thank you so much for reading!!! :)


	7. Secret garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I am really sorry for my delay but rest assured, I am not dead, I went through a small depression and and then there was the resumption of my work which was quite difficult. Anyway, here is the seventh chapter of Broken Hopes. I hope you enjoy it. I'm not really sure about this chapter so only if you want, feel free to leave a comment to tell me what you think about it.  
> Thank you so much for the comments you left and the kudos. Thank you to everyone who reads me, it means a lot for me.  
> And now, enjoy this chapter!

Spring was nearing its end. The blossoming trees gradually gave way to small green buds, which, under a more and more warm sunshine, would eventually give beautiful ripe fruit. On the more and more long days succeeded the gentle summer evenings where the fireflies intersect each other, spreading a feeble gleam which was scarcely visible, crushed by the brilliant light sent back by the moon.

That night, the white sparkle of the moon was reflected on the diadem worn by Sakura. She was seated on a bench in the palace gardens, adorned with a sumptuous white kimono embroidered with red flowers, once again perfectly revealing the color of her hair.

In front of her stood Sasuke, dressed in a simple dark-colored yukata.

In response to the disturbing news he received about the unrest among the various Shinobi clans, and in order to prevent further conflicts, the Emperor had made the decision, against the advice of the priests and his ministers, to move the wedding date of the two couples; It would therefore take place at the end of the summer, and not in the autumn, as was usually the custom. The only one who had given his assent to the Emperor's proposal had been Danzo. The whole court was astonished, knowing that their whole life the two of them had never agreed, so much so that rumors circulated, saying that Danzo would have given this idea to the emperor. But the latter did not care for rags. All that mattered was that marriages could be formalized as soon as possible.

The first conversation between the two future spouses can not therefore wait any longer. Under the discreet surveillance of their respective servants, the young bridegrooms were given a private interview, so that they might learn to know each other and exchange their feelings before the official date of the marriage. This ritual ceremony is all the more important in that it should allow the birth of feelings of trust and sharing, thus sealing the alliance between the two future spouses.

Sasuke, who did not really feel comfortable in the confined spaces, had solicited that this conversation with his future wife takes place in the imperial gardens. The Emperor had gladly granted this favor. It was essential that the two fiancés feel at ease with each other. Nothing was to disturb this first engagement between the two future spouses.

This evening was really perfect. It was mild, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees around, while a cloudless moon rained down rays of light on the two young people. Anyone would find this atmosphere ideal for a first romantic rendezvous.

However, none of the two young people seemed to be able to relax. Sakura kept her face down, her eyes fixed on the ground, desperately trying to hide her forehead, which she found too wide behind her diadem and under thick pink strands of hair. The silence was prolonged heavily. She was trying hard to find out what she could say to the young Uchiha to relax him a bit, but Sasuke kept a closed face, which made the girl discouraged from speaking to him.

"You are sumptuously dressed this evening, Sakura-sama," said the young man suddenly, not knowing what to say to begin the conversation.

Sakura raised her head in astonishment. She did not expect the young Uchiha to speak. The tone of his voice had been so icy, so detached that Sakura shivered coldly. She did not know how to take what he had just said. Did he mean that she was usually poorly dressed? Or, on the contrary, that she was far too well dressed? An Empress had to be perfect on every occasion, even in her dressing, so Sakura took great care of her wardrobe and how she had been dressed every day since she had become the adopted daughter of the Emperor. But perhaps she had made a mistake? Perhaps she would have wanted to do too much? Perhaps it was his outfit that put the young Uchiha uncomfortable?

Sasuke felt the hesitation of the girl and knew that he had missspoken. The incomprehension between the two young people was total. Aside from his mother, the young man had never been alone before with a young girl. To court was really not in his habits, and Sasuke hated to find himself on a ground that he did not master. Then Itachi's words came back to him. This marriage was essential for the peace and security of the Land of Fire. Sasuke had to put aside his personal well-being and make efforts to live up to what was expected of him. He tried to correct his remarks.

"I'm sorry if that came out wrong , Sakura-sama. What I meant to say is that you are ... prettily dressed ... as you usually are ... ".

He felt completely ridiculous and had a horror of it.

Sakura smiled slightly. She had understood. The young Uchiha had tried to give her a compliment, and he didn't do it properly. The girl then felt the rose rise to her cheeks. Sasuke was really adorable.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. On the contrary, I notice that you do like to wear clothes that are quite simple ... "

"These are the clothes worn by those in my clan," Sasuke snapped.

"Yes of course ... Forgive me, I did not want to offend you ..."

Sakura sat back in silence. She really did not know where she stand with the young Uchiha. For a moment he tried to give her a compliment, and the second afterwards he was again cold and distant. The girl did not know what to say. She felt terribly uncomfortable and the young man did not make it easy for her. But Sakura did not want to give up. This marriage was far too important and the girl did not want to spend the rest of her life with a husband who disdained her. She was his wife and the future Empress of the Land of Fire, she refused to be like all those young girls who are forcibly married to men who regard them only as decorative objects, then leave them to go and fetch pleasure in the arms of mistress or courtesans. Her husband would love her, she would make sure of it.

Sakura was a smart girl. She thinks. Sasuke was very suceptible when one approached everything related to the habits and customs of his clan. It would seem that the young Uchiha is deeply attached to his and his lands. She had to change her strategy. If she wanted to get closer to the young man and touch his heart, she had to get him talking about was particularly dear to him. His family and his clan.

"Forgive me, Sasuke-kun," she said softly after a moment, "I can be doubtless awkward, but I have always lived only in the apartments of this palace, and I confess I do not know much about the world outside. Perhaps you could tell me a little more about your family, your clan and its traditions. So that would allow me to know them better and to know you better. "

The young man stared at her, dumbfounded. Never before had he been asked any questions as to who he was, where he came from. The girl, her eyes still fixed on her knees, dared not look at him. Her long, thin, white hands trembled and fidgeted slightly nervously. She was obviously trying to get the young man to talk about him and what he liked. To expose himself. Sasuke did not really like to talk about him, for him only have always counted his goals. But the girl tried to get closer to him. Sasuke thought back to the wedding. It was better to have at his side a wife with whom he would get along better than a woman with whom he would spend his time fighting. Then the young man complied with the request of his future wife.

He told her the green expanses of his native land, the verdant hills, the shady plains he took so much pleasure in drawing as a child, the superb multicolored sunsets, detailed to her some of the customs and traditions of his clan, evoked his family, his loving mother and his dissatisfied father.

But in spite of this, Itachi never ceased to invade his mind. The young man could not help rethinking what he had seen a few nights before, the practice with katana of the young shinobi. He could not help thinking back to his thin, muscular body, which seemed to float in the air like a ghostly creature; the tiny streaks of sweat that flowed down his neck during the effort, sticking some locks of his hair to his face; his serene and calm face, whisked by a light, fresh breeze, ruffling a few locks of his long, charcoal-colored hair and his gestures, which were both graceful and precise, and which could shred with a simple move of wrist the one approaching too close.

Sasuke still did not understand what he had felt at the time. The young man had never before admired other shinobis than his father and Kakashi. He recognized their talent in the art of fighting, their undeniable strategic foresight, and their great wisdom (although, as far as Kakashi was concerned, Sasuke had never understood the interest he had in these books with ... more than salacious content). Itachi was different. Sasuke could sense that a mysterious bond connected him to the young shinobi. He felt attracted to him in an indefinable way. Of course, he recognized his incomparable talent, and the young man welcomed the fact that Itachi had agreed to teach him what he knew about the art of bushido. But it was not just that.

 

Itachi was always on Sasuke's mind and the young man could not focus on anything else. His conversation with Sakura ended cordially though somewhat formal, but both seemed satisfied, considering that they had accomplished their duty, or at least that was what Sasuke was trying to persuade himself of. That evening, as during his interview with the girl, Sasuke could not concentrate on the fight being part of his training with Itachi. He left too many openings to his opponent, constantly being pushed back by the shinobi who was standing in front of him. He could not help but observe Itachi, his body moving silently under the brightness of the moon, his piercing gaze that seemed to see through the shadows of the night, his katana mowing the air to come down violently on that of Sasuke. The young man focused so much on Itachi that he even came to no longer feel the blows carried by the young shinobi. He was completely fascinated to the point of losing all good sense by this enigmatic being that Itachi was.

After all, who was he? Sasuke knew absolutely nothing about his mysterious bodyguard. Where did he come from, who could be his family? Over the weeks, Sasuke had come to confide in the young shinobi more and more, often talking about his family, his country, his worries and doubts, but he in return tell him nothing of his life. The young man yearned to know more about his protector, and did not understand the reasons why Itachi had to be so secret with him. Did not he trust him? This simple thought struck Sasuke much more than he would admit.

Lost in his thoughts, the young Uchiha did not see the blow come. With a rapid lateral movement, Itachi's katana came to strike Sasuke's flank, who barely had time to ward off the attack when he received a violent kick in the middle of his abdomen, pushing back the young Uchiha who stumbled on the root of a tree just behind him, and fell flat down into the dust.

Itachi sheathed his sword and approached the young man.

"It seems you're not really focused tonight, Uchiha-sama. Could I know what is troubling your thoughts? "

The young Uchiha felt his cheeks burning. The young man stood up painfully and his gaze sank into the impassive face of Itachi. He was angry with himself for having so easily lowered his guard and thus made himself so vulnerable. His father would have seen nothing but shame and dishonor. All this because he could not help being fascinated by the man who was looking at him with his beautiful black eyes. This gaze, those cold eyes that fixed him without the young man being able to detect the least emotion, the slightest blink of an eye.

Sasuke was of course furious with himself for letting himself be beaten as quickly and with so much ease. It did not resemble him. Until now, the young Uchiha had always been calm and thoughtful during the training with Kakashi. But in the presence of Itachi, he could not clear his mind. What could be hidden behind this glare of ice? The young shinobi seemed to him to be an unknown land of which the young Uchiha was forbidden access. More Sasuke was trying to get closer to him, the more the young shinobi escaped him, and that made the young man completely mad. Itachi was really an unattainable deity.

Sasuke did not understand what was happening to him. He felt deep within him, not the desire, but the need to be with the young shinobi. As the days passed, this need had become so imperious that it became almost painful. The training sessions were the only moments when the young Uchiha felt his heart in peace. As if he belonged to Itachi and Itachi to him. And that made him crazy to know that Itachi knew everything about him, could guess his innermost thoughts and his most secret fears, could read his heart as one reads an open book while he knew nothing of this man assigned to his protection.

With a movement as fast as lightning, pushed by a sudden burst of anger, Sasuke stood up and threw himself on the young shinobi facing him, which he dragged along with him in his impulse. They both landed heavily in the dust. Sasuke flattened Itachi firmly to the floor, grabbing his wrists desperately and keeping his thighs tight between his knees. But the face of the young shinobi did not reflect the least surprise, not the least eyebrow of stupor, on the contrary he sketched a singular smile, as if he had expected this movement from Sasuke, as if Sasuke had only done what the shinobi had already foreseen that he would do.

Sasuke looked again into the shinobi's dark gaze and saw no flaw, no hesitation or the smallest uncertainty. Itachi really had no faults. He was perfect.

Then Sasuke plastered his lips on those of Itachi.

At this moment the young man thought of nothing. He had acted by instinct. He wanted so much to get closer to the young shinobi, to be one with him in order to pierce his mysteries and finally to know the man who had for a while occupied all his thoughts.

Sasuke closed his eyes. The lips of Itachi, incredibly soft and slightly wet. The perfume Itachi gave off, a sweet mixture of juniper and honeysuckle. The young man was intoxicated with new and unknown sensations. He could feel the beating of his heart accelerate, the pounding of his temples in an ever faster rhythm. His breathing became more and more panting, as if the young man was out of breath. His hands were moist, and Sasuke felt a slight trail of sweat slide down his back, while his entire body was choked with uncontrollable chills.

Time seemed to be suspended. Everything was silent in the garden, only the song of the crickets and the splashing of the water were heard from time to time. A sky without clouds, illuminated by a round moon gently depositing its rays on the scene that was just below.

When Sasuke was suddenly pushed back and thrown back.

The young man straightened up immediately and for a moment he saw surprise and misunderstanding portrayed on the face of the young shinobi. Sasuke wanted to speak, to explain himself, to say the reason that prompted him to do what he did. But was there really a reason? The young man had simply obeyed an impulse, had just followed what his heart dictated to him. The young man simply wanted to get closer to Itachi, provoking a reaction, an emotion on the part of the young shinobi. And that had been the case. Itachi had repulsed him. He had rejected it.

The word stopped in the throat of the young Uchiha who could not utter a word.

Itachi rose quickly, and without a word left the garden without turning once, leaving the young Uchiha alone, lost and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know I'm too cruel with this poor Sasuke but do not worry, Itachi loves the young Uchiha, he just has his own reasons to push him away.  
> In this chapter, I tried to highlight the fascination that Itachi exerts on Sasuke, which does not only pass through physical attraction (fortunately, it will not be interesting otherwise), but also by a form of admiration and curiosity that will not stop growing until the end. Sasuke feels that a strong bond unites him to Itachi without really understanding which one. As you can see, the second part is only Sasuke's view, Itachi will remain enigmatic as to his thoughts and history at least until the middle of this fic. I'm sorry. :,(  
> I was remarked that Sasuke was very cold with Sakura (I had warned I have nothing against Sakura but I can not stand the couple Sasusaku so the fans of this pairing should not read this fic) while he saw Itachi in a rather sensual way. In truth I do not consider Sasuke as a homosexual, I see him rather as asexual or demi-sexual, he is no more attracted by boys than by girls, he is just attracted to Itachi. This is why he is also lost in his feelings and does not know how to behave. He acts by instinct and follows what his heart and his body dictate to him.  
> And no, no Naruto in this chapter but do not worry loyal readers, it will reappear the next chapter, promised.  
> Thank you again for reading and see you the next chapter!!!  
> Ah! by the way, now I have two fics to write so the rhythm of my post is likely to be a little slower than usual, I'm sorry. But I will try to post as soon as possible, promised ;)  
> Have a nice week-end everyone!


	8. Insomnia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I'm really sorry to post so late. I went through a bad time, my psychiatrist diagnosed me with depression with bipolar tendencies, and these last weeks have been quite difficult for me. I did not feel like working or writing anymore. But it's been a little better for a few days. So here is a new chapter.  
> This one is very introspective, so there will be no action. I look more closely at the characters of Hinata and Gaara, but not forgetting the many questions Sasuke has about his feelings for Itachi. In this chapter I also develop a little more the relations between Sasuke and Gaara, what opposes them and what brings them closer. Even in the manga, the first person to interest Gaara is Sasuke and I love the interactions between these two characters.  
> Gaara will not get close to Naruto for the moment, I'm sorry for those who hope to see an interaction between these two characters, but it will not be for now. I explain why Gaara and Naruto did not get close during their lonely childhood in this chapter.  
> Finally, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that you will enjoy reading it!

Hinata could not sleep. It had been several hours since she stared without a sound at the window of her room, through which filtered a thin ray of the moon. The girl then heaved a slight sigh. This first meeting had not gone at all as she would have liked. As usual, Hinata had not managed to even articulate a single word in front of her fiancé. She had remained motionless, her shoulders slightly arched, merely nervously twisting her little white fingers while keeping her face stubbornly lowered to the ground. She had not even been able to look at her future husband in the eye.

The latter on the other hand, had not stopped talking about his dream of finally becoming emperor and bring a real peace to the kingdom, about his childhood rather sad and lonely, at least until the arrival of Sakura-chan. Hinata was not a fool, she had perfectly understood that Naruto's heart belonged to the girl with cherry blossom hair. She could easily understand why, she was really resplendent, always so well dressed and coiffed, always with that self-confident air. Hinata looked pale in comparison to her with her shyness that she could not defeat. In addition, she had no taste for fashion or clothing. She did not correspond to the girl who could capsize the heart of Uzumaki Naruto. So instead of fighting and imposing herself, the girl had closed in on herself. Her father was right, she was really pathetic.

Two small tears began to flow silently down the cheeks of the girl. Since her childhood, her father had always made her understand in the most humiliating and despicable way that she was not an heiress to a clan leader. Hinata had tried everything to satisfy her father's expectations, but whatever she did, it was never enough. She was always belittled for the benefit of her younger sister, Hanabi, who from an early age had demonstrated all the qualities required by Hyuuga Hiashi to become a true chieftain. Hinata then gave up and stopped fighting for favors from her father. What's the use to persist? It was obvious that his younger sister would make an excellent chieftain. Why would Hinata seek to impose herself while she was a shame for her father and the entire clan?

The only person who ever supported her when she was younger was her cousin, Hyuuga Neji. The two young people were really close when they were children, so much so that Hinata began to see Neji as a kind of big brother. It was always him who protected her and consoled her after Hinata had been hard-pressed by her father. Whatever happens, the girl knew that she could still find support and comfort in the arms of her Neji nii-san. Until little by little he avoids her more and more. Without Hinata knowing why, the young man was getting colder and colder, to the point of seeing her in the same way her father saw her. This deeply hurt Hinata, who ended up persuading herself that the image her family sent her was exactly what she was.. She was only a weight for his family and his clan, a weight that his father dreamed of getting rid of.

Hinata knew full well that her father had only accepted this marriage to get rid of her. After all, unlike the Uchiha clan, which could place one of their members on the Imperial Council, the Hyuuga clan received no political reward for the marriage. The young woman would have absolutely no power, except that of giving an heir to the throne of the Land of Fire, since it was Sakura who had been chosen by the Emperor to become Empress. This wedding was only a facade, so the Imperial Council was thus persuaded to keep the Hyuuga's heiress in a gilded prison, a way to control the different Shinobis clans and rally them to the imperial power as old as time.

And Hinata had accepted her fate in silence, again with an empty hope of finally meeting her father's expectations. And now she was alone, a prisoner of a world she knew nothing about and no one beside a husband who loved another woman.

Hinata cried.

~

 

Sasuke could not sleep. He kept turning around on his futon without being able to sleep. The young man kept thinking about what had happened last night in the imperial gardens. He kept thinking of the kiss he had stolen from Itachi without really wanting it. He had just acted on an impulse, he had only followed what his heart dictated to him. And his heart wanted Itachi. Sasuke had never been aware of it until now, but the young shinobi had awakened in him a strange feeling, a feeling that the young man could not quite identify yet. Was it desire? Sasuke had never considered sex other than to procreate, or as a recreational activity practiced only by the weak minded. Was it love? Sasuke knew nothing of love apart from the one he felt for his parents. But what he felt for Itachi was different. In a sense, it was more powerful, more intense, deeper. He wanted to be able to blend into Itachi so that their two souls would be forever linked, as if they were two parts of a whole. At least that was what Sasuke felt.

But Itachi had pushed him away. Itachi did not want him. What an idiot Sasuke had been for thinking that the young shinobi who had been his bodyguard for almost four months now could be interested in him. Nobody had really been interested in him until now. His father saw him as the future leader of the Uchiha clan and never really cared what Sasuke wanted. And despite all the efforts of the latter to try to satisfy the terrible Uchiha Fugaku, this one did not stop belittling his son by making him understand that he never proved to be worthy of what his father expected from him. And Sasuke was not stupid enough to ignore that Kakashi, despite all the attention he paid to his pupil, had taken charge of his education only as a duty to remember his dead friend Uchiha Obito. Even Itachi protected him only by duty to the Emperor and the Land of Fire. And yet Sasuke had hoped so much that he was more than just a mission for the young shinobi. What irony! He who had taken the assignment of a bodyguard as an offense evers himself and his clan couldn't now do without him. The young Uchiha could feel it in his heart. He was related to Itachi, and without really daring to admit it, the rejection of him had caused a deep wound in the young man's heart. As if all of a sudden he could not breathe.

Sasuke was hot. This summer night was particularly stifling. The young man was sweating profusely. He got up to go get some fresh air at the window. A furious desire to scream his anger and his frustration seized him. Really he was pathetic. His father would probably be furious and probably disappointed to know that his son was so dominated by his feelings.

"Sasuke-san? "

It was Gaara's voice. Sasuke turned around. The young, fiery-haired servant stood in the doorway of his apartment. Of course he was insomniac, he had to hear Sasuke get up and come see why the young Uchiha was standing at such a late hour and if he did not need anything.

"Everything is fine," Sasuke tried to reassure him, "I just could not sleep with that heat."

"I'll bring you some water," the servant answered immediately.

Sasuke watched him leave his apartments with a surprised air. It was the first time that Gaara had anticipated his master's desires and decided to act on his own. The young man thought that his servant was perhaps beginning to get used to his new master. He returned a few moments later with a lacquered wooden bowl filled with water. He handed the bowl to Sasuke who grabbed it and emptied it in one go.

Gaara stared intently at the young Uchiha drinking. Despite his explanations, he seemed agitated, almost feverish. Big drops of sweat beaded on his forehead and the bowl he held in his hands was shaking slightly. Something other than the heat disturbed the young Uchiha. It was not difficult for Gaara to guess what it was. Or rather who it was. The young servant had noticed a change in his relationship with the young shinobi. Sasuke had never confided in him, but certain gestures, certain looks, their sensual and tactile way of training had made him understand that a bond had been formed between the young Uchiha and his bodyguard.

"It's Itachi, is not it? "

The young Uchiha was looking at him now with a mixture of astonishment and sadness in his eyes. Gaara had guessed right then. Sasuke was too much attached to the young shinobi and was now suffering the consequences.

"If I can give you advice, Sasuke-san, beware of this shinobi."

Sasuke's eyes darken. They became even darker than they already were.

"Why are you telling me that? Sasuke asked in a voice colder than ice. But Gaara remained for a moment without saying anything to contemplate the young man. He felt somehow close to the young Uchiha, both exiled, sold almost by their families for political reasons to a land, a foreign country of which they knew nothing and nobody. It was with an impassive gaze and a voice devoid of any emotion that the young servant answered.

"Nobody really knows this shinobi, nobody knows who he is or where he comes from. But there are dark rumors about him in the palace. Some claim he would be a spy in the service of a foreign country. Others say he's a mercenary with a heart as cold as ice. In any case, that with jealousy, he would have killed his best friend and mentor and made the body disappear. His friend was also a Uchiha, a member of the Royal Guard, but no proof could be brought. Finally the adviser of the Emperor, Shimura Danzo, intervened in his favor and the case remained there. Anyway, it's someone who can not be trusted. I know he gives the impression of holding you in high esteem, but it is always those closest to us who betray us first, "finished Gaara, a gleam of hate lighting up in his green eyes.

The Third Great Shinobi War was particularly trying for the Land of the Wind, which had allied with the Nations of the Earth and Lightning against the Land of Fire. It had suffered heavy losses and considerable damage. His armies were overthrown by those of the Land of Fire, and the principal cities were destroyed and looted. As a sign of surrender, the Emperor of Land of the Wind had to resolve to painful political and territorial counterparts in order to preserve what was left of his country and preserve his people from the famine that threatened them. To repair the harm that the Land of Wind had caused in the Land of Fire, the emperor yielded several lands and sent one-third of his economic resources to the conquering country. But the most difficult counterpart was that demanded by the Emperor on the advice of his shogun Shimura Danzo; to send a part of the population of the Country of the Wind to the Land of Fire as hostages, including one of the children of the Emperor of the Land of the Wind himself. The latter therefore chooses to get rid of his last son, a weak and puny boy who was whispered that he would not live very long. This child was Gaara. The Emperor, wishing to maintain relations of peace with the Country of Wind and to avoid another war, insisted that no harm be done to the child, but instead of being treated like royal hostage with the distinction due to his rank the young boy was treated like a vulgar takeover of war and reduced to the rank of servant.

Over the years, the Emperor of the Land of the Wind completely forgot his last child, whom the Land of Fire had decided to keep as a servant by habit. The miseries of war were forgotten, the young boy had therefore no value either in the eyes of the Land of Fire, who now had good relations with the neighboring country, or in the eyes of his own father who had simply abandoned him. Conscious now of the uselessness of his life, the child closed completely on himself and grew up in the silence and hatred of his family and the world around him. Never trust, never attach yourself to anyone to avoid suffering through their fault. Because of his aggressive character, the boy was kept away from the imperial family, confined to administrative tasks far from other servants he frightened, isolated from all. Gaara had always known loneliness until the arrival of young Uchiha. Like Gaara, he spoke little and was relatively distant with the other members of the palace. Like Gaara, he had been sent by his family as hostage to the Land of Fire, although instead of a servant's life, he was offered a golden cage alongside the imperial family. Yes, for the first time in her life, Gaara was finally feeling close to someone.

But Sasuke was not in a position to receive such advice. He was deeply attached to the young shinobi and refused to listen to reason. In a harsh voice he interrupted his servant's speech, which he then dismissed with a sudden gesture. The latter, after a brief silence, bowed respectfully and then silently left the room. The young Uchiha slowly lay back on his futon, his mind confused, constantly rethinking Gaara's words. He did not sleep at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke is even more confused now!  
> So what do you think of this chapter?  
> I hope you enjoy it!  
> Next chapter will focus on Neji.  
> See you!


	9. I know your secret...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Here is the next chapter of my fic.  
> As promised, this chapter focuses on the character of Neji, who will find himself in a situation a little uncomfortable. The scene described in this chapter is of course that of chapter 7, it is not a new scene.  
> Thanks for the comments, the kudos and the bookmarks.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter !!!  
> good reading!

Hyuga Neji could not sleep. He kept thinking back to the echoes he had had about Hinata-sama and his interview with the Emperor's Crown Prince, Uzumazi Naruto. According to rumors whispered in the corridors, the one who would become First Imperial Wife would have been unable to hold a conversation with her future husband, and would just keep her head down to the ground while playing with the edge of her dress throughout the appointment. Of course, the servants, despite the formal prohibition to divulge the secrets exchanged during this sacred interview, could not help but noised abroad what they had witnessed, so that the next day, the whole Court was informed of the conduct of the future First Wife. When he heard of it, the Emperor flew into a black rage, and all the servants present that evening were immediately executed. But the damage was already done. The first Ladies of the Court began to avoid the young woman, looking at her with pity or looking at her disdainfully. The worst sharp tongues claimed that she must be perfectly stupid or completely uncultured, for it was unthinkable that a lady of her rank could not know how to hold a conversation in society. Others saw in her attitude the pinnacle of rudeness and insult, and wondered how the Emperor had not already sent her away. Even the maids were making small, mocking chuckles as she passed.

Neji hated his cousin. He hated her for seeing her so humiliated. He hated her for seeing her lower her head and hasten her pace under the laughter of simple servants. He hated her for seeing her hide in the shadows while everyone should bow their heads in her path. He hated her for seeing her so weak, so pathetic. Neji knew Hinata-sama since his early childhood. He knew that her attitude was not due to the fact that she was uneducated, or that she knowingly wanted to insult the heir to the throne. The girl reacted in this way simply when she did not feel comfortable. Hinata-sama had always been shy to the point of hiding behind her father's yukata when Neji had met her for the first time. His father then explained to him that Hinata-sama was the heiress of the Hyûuga clan, and that Neji's duty was to protect her at all costs. Since that day, the young boy wiped the tears of his cousin every time she was reprimanded by her father, to the point that the girl began to see in Neji a big brother. But the more time passed the more the proximity of Hinata-sama made him feel uncomfortable. A vague feeling, which he did not know, gradually invaded the young man. He was embarrassed when he looked at Hinata-sama, and could feel his face flare up and his heart panic at the slightest touch of the girl. Neji kept secret this new feeling that was growing in him, until Hyûuga Hiashi belittled his daughter once again before the entire clan in favor of his younger sister. The young man saw tears bead in the red eyes of the girl, which did not fail to notice his father. The leader of the Hyuguga clan then pronounced these terrible words: "A Hyûuga does not cry. A Hyûuga confronts his destiny with strength and dignity. You are the shame of your clan''. That day, Neji hated his cousin for allowing herself to be humiliated in front of the entire clan, he hated her for silently bowing her head instead of raising her chin proudly. The young man was convinced that this strange feeling he felt for his cousin was none other than the shame that inspired Hinata-sama to all the other members of the clan, and began gradually to distance himself from the young girl.

Neji sat up on his futon and sighed deeply. He was suffocating in this little room next to his cousin's royal apartments. The young man kept thinking of Hinata-sama. The families of both Hyûuga and Uchiha clans are expected to arrive in a few weeks to celebrate the marriage of their respective children. Hyûuga Hiashi will no doubt be furious when he learns that his eldest daughter was the laughing stock of the whole Court, for by humiliated herself, it was the whole clan that she had humiliated. Neji closed his eyes. He needed to get some fresh air to change his mind. He stood up and silently left his room to head for the imperial gardens. It was a beautiful and sweet summer night, of which only the crickets singing disturbed the tranquility. Neji closed his eyes and inhaled deeply the sweet scent exhaled by the flowers and other fragrant plants. Everything was calm.

When suddenly a metallic sound was heard. Neji opened his eyes at once and immediately took a defensive stance. What he had just heard, he was sure, was the sound of a katana blow. The young man then eavesdrop in the silence of the night. Other sounds of katana blows echoed in the imperial gardens. There was no doubt that two people were fighting somewhere in the palace. Neji sneaked quietly through the trees and groves to get as close as possible to the combat zone. When he reached close enough, hidden behind a bush, the young man pushed aside a branch to see what was happening. The Uchiha was crossing swords with another shinobi Neji had never seen before, with soot-black hair and eyes darker than ink. For a moment, Neji thought the Uchiha was facing another assassin sent to kill him, and he was about to come to the aid of the young man when he saw him spread out in the dust and the young shinobi approaching him his katana out of the scabbard - not because he liked the Uchiha, but because peace depended on his marriage to the future Empress - when the ink-eyed shinobi began to say, "It looks like you're not really focused tonight, Uchiha-sama. May I know what is troubling your thoughts?'' _Uchiha-sama? _Neji then realized that the young shinobi was not an assassin sent to kill the young Uchiha, but rather the bodyguard he had been assigned to protect him from possible attacks.__

__The young man stared at the two shinobis with a hint of disappointment. The Uchiha did not seem really focused on this fight, and was far too easily dominated by the ink-eyed shinobi. Neji could read the anger and frustration in the eyes of the young Uchiha. The young man had been overwhelmed by his emotions and had lost the fight. What could trouble the young Uchiha to be so distracting? Knowing how to control your emotions during a fight was, however, the basis of learning the art of Shinobi. Was it really the great Uchiha Sasuke who had beaten a professional murderer sent to kill him? Suddenly, Neji saw the young man stand up abruptly and throw himself on the ink-eyed shinobi to drag him with him into the dust, then hold him down by the wrists, his thighs firmly gripping the shinobi's pelvis. Time seemed to have stopped. Neji, surprised by the sudden reaction of the Uchiha, could not look away, curious as to what would be the next movement of the young man._ _

__Neji's eyes widened to the point of becoming perfectly round. Quick as lightning, the young man looked away from the scene that was unfolding before his eyes, turned around and left the imperial gardens as quickly and discreetly as he could. Did the Uchiha go crazy? What's the matter with him? The Land of Fire had always been subjected to fire and sword because of fratricidal wars between the different clans of Shinobis, and the only way to prevent all these massacres was to form this alliance wanted by the Emperor by marrying his heirs. Was the Uchiha not aware of the situation? Did he not know how important his marriage to the future Empress Haruno Sakura was, not only for the Land of Fire but also for his own clan? Neji still could not believe it. A few moments ago, right under his eyes, the Uchiha had kissed the young black-eyed shinobi. If the rumor spread in the palace, it is not only the marriage and all the hopes of peace for the Land of Fire that will be destroyed, but the young Uchiha may find his head cut for the offense against the honor of the future Empress, and the Uchiha clan would then start a war against the royal power to avenge the death of their young leader, thus weakening the country and leading to a Fourth Great Shinobi War. If it was a simple maid he kissed, the Court would probably have looked away and this story would have gone unnoticed. But if the Uchiha were caught in the arms of another man ... Only priests and masters practicing shûdo had the right to have sex with their students, and only until a certain age. The black-eyed shinobi was not Sasuke's master but his bodyguard. Hardly more than a servant. Such relations were proscribed in the Land of Fire. Neji had to have a conversation with the young Uchiha as soon as possible._ _

__~_ _

__The next day, Neji got up very early. He had not closed the eye of the night, tormented by this kiss exchanged between the young Uchiha and his bodyguard. Neji did not understand. The Uchiha clan was one of the oldest clans of the Land of Fire, like the Hyûuga clan, and it obeyed the same ancestral traditions. The young man had certainly had to be told the sense of duty and sacrifice, as well as the respect due to the Emperor and to the imperial power. So why did the young man risk his life, his honor and that of his family, the very future of the Land of Fire for such a dangerous affair? After a quick wash, Neji went directly to the apartments of the Uchiha and entered the room of the young man without bothering to be announced. The situation was far too preoccupying to take the time to comply with the Court's uses. But the room was empty. Neji sighed in annoyance. Where could he be? Suddenly the young man heard a huge roar from the imperial gardens._ _

__''Sasuuuuuukkkkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !''_ _

__Neji immediately recognized the loudmouthed voice of Crown Prince Uzumaki Naruto. He rushed to the Imperial Gardens and arrived just as the Uchiha fended off an attack by the Crown Prince, and dragged by his momentum, the latter landed in the dust._ _

__"It seems to me that I've won again, Naruto-sama," the Uchiha calmly said with a hint of irony in his voice as the blond-haired young man stared at him sitting on his behind while slacking._ _

__"It's only luck," he retorted, grumbling._ _

__Neji then decided to interrupt them and cleared his throat to signal his presence. The two young boys turned their heads at the same time in his direction. Sasuke's face contracted slightly, while Naruto seemed visibly annoyed by Neji's irruption._ _

__"I am sorry to interrupt you, Your Highness, but with your permission, I would like to speak with Uchiha Sasuke privately."_ _

__Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Interact with him privately? What could Hyûuga Neji want from him? " For what reasons ?'' He asked in an icy tone._ _

__"For the reasons I'll explain once we're alone," Neji retorted in a voice that was just as cold. The tension was such that the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees._ _

__"In case you did not notice, we were training," Sasuke snapped, turning away from the young man and returning his attention to Naruto. But Neji held him by the shoulder._ _

__"I allow myself to insist."_ _

__Sasuke violently pushed Neji's hand away from his shoulder. Neji was expecting a violent riposte from the young Uchiha but against all odds he just replied: "Very good," then turning to Naruto, "We will continue later, Naruto."_ _

___Naruto? Since when have the Uchiha and the Crown Prince become so close? ____ _

____"Okay," Naruto grumbled, lifting his upper lip slightly, which he always did when he sulked. Then the young man handed his katana to his servant and they both left the imperial gardens, leaving Sasuke and Neji to join the Uchiha's apartments for a little more privacy._ _ _ _

____"Make sure no one disturbs us," Sasuke told Gaara._ _ _ _

____Then the young man closed the door of his room and turned to Neji._ _ _ _

____"So what did you have to say to me?"_ _ _ _

____Neji frowned slightly, "Since when did you become so close to the Crown Prince to call him by his first name? The first time you met, he attacked you with his katana. What could change in such a short time? "_ _ _ _

____Sasuke narrowed his eyes and said coldly as he walked to his bedroom door "If that's all you had to ask me ..."_ _ _ _

____"I saw you last night in the Imperial Gardens," Neji interrupted him. Sasuke stopped abruptly. His whole body froze in an instant. Neji continued, "I saw you kiss that shinobi that serves as your bodyguard."_ _ _ _

____Sasuke swallowed hard. Neji had seen him kiss Itachi? How? The young man was sure that they were alone at that moment. Had Neji also seen Itachi push him away? So what was the purpose of this discussion? Was the young man trying to make fun of him? Or to threaten him? Sasuke's thoughts became confused, yet the young man showed nothing of the confusion that had taken hold of him and tried to remain unmoved._ _ _ _

____"So what ?'' Replied the young man in a voice that he wanted the most neutral possible._ _ _ _

____"So what ?'' Neji asked. Did not the Uchiha really understand? Did he not understand that he risked all that why the Land of Fire had been fighting for so many years.? Did he not understand that he was risking his own life and the future of his clan? "Would you have gone mad?," Neji suddenly shouted, "to compromise you in the arms of another man as our country tries to break out of centuries of fratricidal war? You are the bridegroom of the future Empress, your duty as such is to help her to bring peace to the country. The future of the Land of Fire and our families depend on these marriages between our clans and the heirs to the throne. Otherwise, the country will never know peace. Relationships like those you have with this shinobi are proscribed and you risk your life and the honor of your clan by not respecting the rules. Think about that Uchiha! And if you refuse to listen to reason, I would have to constrain you."_ _ _ _

____Sasuke's eyes darkened and his hand moved mechanically to the pommel of his katana. "Is this a threat?'' He asked in a dull voice of anger._ _ _ _

____"A warning rather," Neji replied. "I will watch you Uchiha, and I will prevent you from making a mistake that would jeopardize the future of our families and this country."_ _ _ _

____Without adding another word, Neji left Sasuke's room._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shudo: Shudō is the Japanese tradition of a pederastic homosexuality practiced among samurai from the medieval period until the end of the nineteenth century. The term is actually the abbreviation of wakashudō. 
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter. The next chapter will focus again on Sasuke and Itachi and things will start to get a little hotter ...If you know what I mean ;) So go to the next chapter. Thank you for reading!  
> If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me!


	10. Red with blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!  
> I'm so late to post this chapter, I'm so sorry. I write really slowly and this chapter really gives me a hard time. I do not count the number of times I have to rewrite it. At the risk of disappointing some of you, and contrary to what I announced in my last chapter, I had to rewrite somewhat the senario of this chapter and thus Itachi will not make an appearance in this one. But do not worry, he will be present in the next chapter which will certainly be very spicy. I hope not to disappoint anyone and you will appreciate this chapter anyway.  
> Good reading to all!  
> Enjoy!

Uchiha Sasuke felt more and more irritated in the days following his discussion with Neji. By what right did the young Hyuuga allow himself to dictate to him his conduct taking as a pretext the good of their families and the Land of Fire? Sasuke was perfectly aware of what was at stake, he too wanted peace and knew that to get it, he had to marry the Emperor's adopted daughter, Haruno Sakura. This kiss with Itachi had been an error dictated by an impulse of the heart. Sasuke was still young, he still unable to master his emotions. Moreover, the shinobi had rejected him, so he must not have felt the same feelings as the young Uchiha towards him. This rejection had yet bruised the Uchiha much more than he was willing to admit. Neither Itachi nor Sasuke had talked about what had happened that night, the young shinobi showed more distant towards Sasuke than he had been before. He spoke to him in a cold voice, devoid of all passion, and only to point out to him how weak he was and how he would make an easy target for an assassin, how lucky he was facing this masked shinobi sent to kill him, for without the intervention of his servant, he would have died under his blows. Itachi's blows during training were much more violent than before, failing to hurt the young Uchiha several times. Yet the young man could not help but want Itachi to continue to protect him, to train him despite the bullying and humiliation. He felt bound to him as to no other person, his only presence had become as necessary as breathing. So Sasuke accepted everything from Itachi, the harshness of his words, the violence of his blows, as long as their two bodies came into contact, as long as Itachi's attention was focused on him. He dared not think of the day of his marriage, where Itachi's protection would no longer be deemed useful to Sasuke. He dared not imagine the young shinobi away from him, perhaps assigned to the protection of another person. The mere fact that Itachi could be close to another person made the young man mad with jealousy and filled him with sadness. That Itachi could one day abandon him and leave him alone made him make the night terrible nightmares.

The date of marriage was approaching inexorably. In a few days, the two families of the future husband and wife of the adopted children of the Emperor would arrive in the capital to celebrate the wedding of their respective child. The young man did not know what to do. He felt torn by his desire to stay with Itachi forever and his duty to his family and the Land of Fire to marry Sakura. If Sasuke did not know very well what he felt for the young shinobi, on the other hand he was sure to feel nothing for the girl. Certainly she was probably very beautiful, but their world was way too different. Sakura had been raised in the imperial palace, in a world of appearance governed by strict rules and a highly codified protocol, while Sasuke had always lived in the green plains of his clan, free to roam the wilderness of his homeland despite the rigid education he had received from his father. The young man could not comply with the us and customs of the court which he found very hypocritical. But with Itachi it was different. With Itachi, Sasuke felt that he could be himself, without having to play a role that did not suit him. For several nights, the young man had been dreaming that he was leaving the palace with the young shinobi, to a destination where political conflicts would not be taken into account and where they would both be free to live. An impossible, illusory dream.

~

The Emperor had received very bad news that morning. Bands of robbers had taken advantage of quarrels between clans to attack small villages along the border of the Land of Fire. Many of them had been burned and their inhabitants slaughtered like cattle. Thus the different clans shinobis no longer protected the borders because too busy fighting each other. It had been several months since the clans of the Land of Fire fought fiercely, precisely since the assassination attempt of Uchiha Sasuke. Despite an absolutely formal decree of the Emperor prohibiting the disclosure of this information outside the palace grounds, the news spread like wildfire throughout the country, and shinobis clans, after several years of hard-won peace, had resumed their clashes, mutually blaming each other for the assassination attempt. Sasuke had suspected the presence of a spy in the palace, and these new attacks confirmed that the latter was doing everything to maintain the flame of hatred between the different clans. Because only a member of the palace could have been aware of the assassination attempt and thus noise about it. The Emperor had of course had an investigation carried out to find the person responsible for this leak, but it had produced no convincing result. And during this time, this spy continued to spit his venom, leading the Land of Fire to the edge of the abyss. It became imperative to find and stop him, because if the other Shinobis Nations were made aware of the fragility of the borders of the Land of Fire, the war would be declared again and all the efforts of the Emperor to try to bring peace would have been in vain.

That night, Sasuke could not sleep. He kept thinking of this spy lurking in the imperial palace. Who was he ? Did he act on behalf of one of the Shinobis Five Nations or for his own account? Why did he insist on waging a war that would put the world to fire and the sword? For greed or for an even darker reason? Sasuke suspected that the news of these attacks could not remain secret for long. The date of the marriage was approaching and if the spy really wanted to start a war he did not have much time to act. Because once the two most powerful clans of the Land of Fire allied to the imperial power, the shinobis clans will have no choice but to stop their useless quarrels, for fear of provoking a war that they could never win. But how to find this spy? Sasuke thought back to Gaara's words of never trusting the people you care about. Could it be that Itachi ... This simple idea made Sasuke want to vomit. The young shinobi had been assigned to his protection and without really knowing why, Sasuke had confidence in him. The hard words of Itachi came back to him in memory, where the young shinobi treated him as weak, where only the intervention of his servant had allowed him to kill the masked shinobi. Sasuke gave a sad sigh. He would like so much to show Itachi how strong he was, how worthy he was of him. He would like so much …

Sasuke sat up abruptly on his futon. It was impossible, the young man could not believe it. How could Itachi know that his servant had saved his life? They were alone during the fight, the soldiers of the royal guard did not arrive until after the death of the masked shinobi. No one ever knew what really happened that night except for Sasuke and Gaara. How could the young shinobi know? Sasuke doubted that Gaara could noised abroad his role in this fight, knowing that he would undoubtedly be executed if one learned that he had risked the life of his master by his intervention. The only way for Itachi to know that it was thanks to Gaara that Sasuke was still alive would have been to witness the scene. But why would he have spied on them? Sasuke saw only one reason, and that made him sick. What should he do? Warning the guard would surely condemn Itachi to death. But to say nothing would be betraying the Land of Fire and all that why his family and the Emperor was fighting. Sasuke could feel his stomach aching painfully at the mere thought of the head of the young shinobi rolling on the pavement of the big inner courtyard. The young Uchiha had made his decision. He had to find Itachi and tell him to flee as far as possible from the Land of Fire and never come back. He got up and rushed into the imperial gardens, hoping to find the young shinobi there.

He searched each corner of the imperial gardens but found no trace of Itachi. Where could the young shinobi be? The young man did not know what to do. He could not call Itachi aloud without immediately drawing the attention of the royal guard. He was, moreover, very astonished that he had not met any guards yet, knowing that the Emperor had given the order to reinforce the patrols within the palace. It was not normal. Suddenly, the young man walked on something spongy. He looked down and discovered with horror that he had stepped into a pool of fresh blood. But what was happening? A trail of blood led behind a grove a few yards away. The young Uchiha followed it and fell on the body of a soldier of the royal guard. The man's throat had been slit from one ear to the other. Leaning over the soldier's body, Sasuke was able to observe, despite the abundance of blood, that the carrot had been severed precisely, which meant that only a perfectly trained shinobi could have committed this murder. He immediately thought of Itachi. The young man was immediately seized with a violent headache. What should he do now? Itachi had killed this guard and the Emperor would surely not let this crime go unpunished. Suddenly a noise was heard just behind him. A slight rustle of leaves from the grove right next to him. Sasuke grabbed the weapon that the guard still had on him and turned quickly.

" I know you're there. I order you to go out! "

To the great surprise of the young man, it was not Itachi who came out of the grove, but his servant. Sasuke frowned. What could Gaara do here? The boy stared at him with his impassive green eyes without saying a word. He seemed slightly feverish, however, his body shaking with small tremors. Something was dripping from the boy's right hand, a strange, dark liquid that was puddling on the floor. A moonbeam illuminated the imperial gardens, and Sasuke could see that the boy's hand was red, red with blood.

"So it was you. "

Gaara's features metamorphosed and a monstrous smile appeared on his face. "Did not I tell you to be wary of people close to you, Uchiha Sasuke? "

Sasuke brandishes the katana, ready to hit the traitor who from the beginning had played him. The young man did not know if he should be relieved that the spy was not Itachi or so furious that he was all the time right under his nose. The boy, however, did not make the slightest movement to protect himself from the blade that was about to slit his throat. Only his two green eyes shone with a strange glow that Sasuke had never seen in Gaara.

"You do not hit, Uchiha Sasuke? Perhaps in this case you are not worthy of the reputation that you are made "provoked Gaara with a touch of scorn in his voice.

" Who are you ? Sasuke asked icily. Gaara could not be a simple servant. The guard had been stealthily attacked from behind and his throat had been sliced with the precision that only a perfectly seasoned shinobi could possess. But it was certainly not in the palace that he was able to learn how to kill in this way. Where could the young red-haired boy have learned to handle the katana so skillfully?

"So they did not even think about telling you?'' Replied the young boy in a tone full of contempt. "But I guess that's hardly surprising. After all, a hostage that no longer has any reason to be does not matter anymore, does it? "

"A hostage? Sasuke asked incredulously.

"At the end of the Third Great Shinobi War," Gaara replied, "the Land of Fire has demanded, in compensation for the damage caused during the conflict, that the Land of Wind pays him some of his resources and gives him a part of his population, including the Emperor's own son. "

Sasuke opened his eyes wide. So Gaara was the son of the Emperor of the Land of Wind?! The young man understood better where this extraordinary skill in handling the katana of his came from. All the sons of nobles were trained in the art of combat, in the same way as the shinobis, so that one day they could lead their troops to battle. Sasuke kept himself on his guard, because despite his frail appearance, the boy had proved that he was a formidable warrior.

"Why would the Land of Wind seek to provoke a war between the Shinobi clans of the Land of Fire after all these years of peace?'' Sasuke asked, frowning. What reason could the Land of Wind have for wanting to launch a war within the Land of Fire? And why wait so many years? In order to lull their mistrust? Or perhaps he was waiting for the right opportunity to strike, like this famous marriage between members of the imperial family and the children of the two most powerful clans in the country? But in this case, why did Gaara save his life the night of the masked shinobi attack? If he had let Sasuke get killed, the war would have been declared immediately. Unless...

Gaara suddenly burst into sardonic laughter. "The Land of Wind? The Land of Wind is no more to me than what I represent to its people. Nothing. My mother died in childbirth while cursing my name. As for my father, he did not hesitate to sell me as a hostage to the Land of Fire supposedly in the name of peace. As the years went by, the more the relationship with the Land of Wind was calming down, the more the Land of Fire considered that I no longer had any value as a hostage. They only left me alive for fear that my death would lead to another war with the Land of Wind. But my father himself had finally forgotten my existence. I had no reason to be anymore. You and I are not so different, Uchiha Sasuke. After all, did not your family sell you to the Emperor of the Land of Fire to satisfy its personal ambitions? We are nothing more than pawns that our families can freely move on the political spectrum and then sacrifice when they feel we are no longer useful to them ". A dark, intense gleam of hate passed into Gaara's gaze, which Sasuke had already glimpsed in the red-haired boy's eyes the night he warned him about Itachi. The boy continued, "Until I am put at your service, Uchiha Sasuke. It was I who spread the rumor that you had been attacked that night. "

" Why ? If not by order of the Land of Wind, why seek to trigger a war that will put the shinobi world to fire and the sword?'' A demonic smile distorted the features of the red-haired boy's face. His response froze the blood of the young Uchiha.

" To have fun ".

Sasuke was watching the boy with wide eyes. Had he heard correctly? He wanted to trigger a war between the different Shinobi nations ... to have fun?  
"In that case, why did you save my life? If this masked shinobi had killed me, the war would have been declared immediately. "

"Why, why, why. Are not you tired of asking the same questions all the time? You give yourself too much importance, Uchiha Sasuke. I did not save your life. I do not care if you live or die. But because I am your servant, I myself would have been executed for doing nothing to try to save the life of the future son-in-law of the Emperor. But my life has too much value to risk losing it in so pointless a way.''

"And the guard?'' Sasuke asked, pointing to the bloody body lying at his feet.

Gaara shrugged. "He blocked my way," he answered simply.

Sasuke was stunned. Gaara sought to launch a war only to satisfy his taste for blood and bloodshed, and all those who dared to get in his way were immediately swept away without qualms. Yet the young Uchiha could not help feeling pity for the red-haired boy, abandoned by all, sacrificed in the name of peace. After all, did Sasuke himself not sacrifice his happiness in order to preserve this hard-won peace? Would not he rather have been in Itachi's arms than in Sakura's bed? No, Sasuke should not think about that now. He had made a choice, just like Gaara.

" It's finish. Your plan failed, "said Sasuke firmly.

A terrifying murderous aura suddenly emanated from Gaara. His entire body was covered with violent spasms that the boy was struggling to repress. He seemed more excited than ever.

" You think ? I'm not so sure. When the guards will find the dead body of Uchiha Sasuke in the imperial gardens the next morning, the Emperor himself will not be able to contain this information and the war will finally break out. "

With a swift movement, Gaara unsheathed his katana and rushed at the young Uchiha with a terrifying growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are eager to read more. A big thank you to all those who read me and left kudos, it always makes me happy!  
> If you have questions or comments, do not hesitate to send them to me, I will answer with pleasure.  
> I hope to see you again in the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> As you can guess, there will be several chapters.  
> Any comment in good and bad will be gladly accepted.  
> Thank you so much for reading!!! :))))


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